Bilateral absence of mental foramen in a living human subject.

The mental foramen, through which the mental nerve emerges, is an important anatomic landmark in odonto-stomatology. Knowing its anatomic variations, according to the ethnic group or age, is essential when performing local anesthesia or implant and orthognathic surgeries. Besides the presence of a supernumerary foramen and variations in its location, numerous topographies have been described such as unilateral or bilateral triple foramina, hypoplasia or agenesis.

Vascular connections of the lateral wall of the sinus: surgical effect in sinus augmentation.

Purpose: There are several vascular vessels that supply the maxillary sinus, such as the posterior superior alveolar artery, the anterior superior alveolar artery, and the infraorbital artery (IOA). These vessels have to be taken into consideration during a sinus augmentation because of the potential risk of bleeding during the procedure. The objective of this investigation was to study variations in maxillary sinus artery connections with the potential surgical effect during a sinus floor elevation by the lateral wall.