Anthropometric Study on the Location of the Mental Foramen

Paik, Doo Jin; Jeong, Hwa Hae; Jeon, Yu Mi; Yoon, Yang Ha

Abstract

The Mental foramen is the exit of the mandibular canal through which the mental nerve pass. The location of the mental foramen, an anthropologically valuable structure, is not only influenced by factors such as tooth attrition, age, loss of teeth, and alveolar bone resorption but also race, diet and geographical position. This study was undertaken to clarify the anthropological characteristics of the location of the mental foramina in the mandibles of the selected Korean population. Forty four mandibles (23 males and 21 females with average age of 66.5 years obtained from the collection of the department of anatomy and cell biology of Hanyang medical college were studied. The apparent position of mental foramen in relation to the mandibular teeth and the true position of mental foramen in relation to the body of the mandible were measured. The obtained results were as follows: In 89% of 35 mandibular sides the mental foramen was located around the second premolar, the most commonly between the second premolar and the first molar, which belongs to type V according to Wang et al. (1986). The distances from the alveolar bone crest across the mental foramen to the lower border of the mandible was 27.4+/-2.4 mm. The mean distances from mental foramen to the alveolar crest and lower border were 12.1+/-2.3 and 13.1+/-2.0 mm, respectively. The mean position of mental foramen was 4.08 on the line between the second premolar and the first molar. The mental foramen of selected Korean population was located more posterioly when compared with many previous reports from various races. The results of this study would be useful to clarify the anthropological position of the mental foramen in Korean.