A rare case of an anatomical variant of nonexistent mental foramen.

The mental foramen (MF) is an important anatomical landmark in the jaw, where the sensory nerve (mental nerve) and blood vessels emerge. To avoid sensory impairment or paresthesia caused by mental nerve damage, the MF must be accurately identified and localized. The literature describes a variety of anatomical variants of the MF, such as changes in its position, emergence profile or the presence of extra foramina.

Custom Focal Trough in Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Reformatted Panoramic Versus Digital Panoramic for Mental Foramen Position to Aid Implant Planning.

Objectives: To compare the linear measurements from digital panoramic (DP) radiographs and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) volumes for the localization of the mental foramen (MF).

Material And Methods: Thirty-one patients with panoramic and CBCT radiographs depicted on the same machine were analyzed. The vertical and horizontal positions of the MF were compared by the differences in distances measured from reference points to the boundaries (tangents) of the MF in digital panoramic (DP) and CBCT reformatted panoramic (CRP) views.