Morphometry of Mandibular Foramen with Lingula and Antilingula in Dry Adult Human Mandibles in West Bengal Region

Dr. Pratibha Gupta; Dr. Abha Gupta

Volume : VII, Issue : VIII, August - 2017

Morphometry of Mandibular Foramen with Lingula and Antilingula in Dry Adult Human Mandibles in West Bengal Region

Dr. Pratibha Gupta, Dr. Abha Gupta

Abstract :

Aim: The present study was aimed to position the mandibular foramen from different anatomical landmarks in horizontal and vertical orientations. Also to statistically correlate mandibular foramen with lingula and antilingula and to evaluate usefulness of lingula and antilingula landmarks for maxillofacial–oral surgeons, mandibular ramus osteotomies and the inferior alveolar nerve block, a very common local anesthetic technique for lower jaw anesthesia examples – for tooth extraction, skeletal malocclusion correction, reduction of fractures etc.

Methods & materials: Randomly selected 45 (90 sides) adult human mandibles were procured from Anatomy department of IQ City Medical College, West Bengal as the study material. Four measurements (MX, MY, MW & MZ) were done for mandibular foramen lingula and antilingula landmarks in two horizontal and two vertical orientations by Digital Vernier Calliper. The measurements were tabulated and statistically analyzed.

Results: Only 46 sides had prominent palpable antilingula, hence the comparison with respect to antilingula and mandibular foramen were done only for 46 sides. The mean values were significantly higher for MY & MW and significantly lower for MX & MZ of lingula landmark in comparison to mandibular foramen. Antilingula also showed similar trend when compared to mandibular foramen.

Conclusion: Lingula can be used as bony landmark to identify the mandibular foramen for various maxillofacial oral operations and anesthesia. Antilingula (if palpable) can be used as supplementary landmark. In relation to both lingula and antilingula mandibular foramen is located posteroinferiorly. The mandibular foramen is slightly posterior in relation to the center of the ramus.