Quantitative and Mathematical Analysis of Mental Foramen along with Its Correlation with Sex and Age Using Cone-beam Computed Tomography.

Aim And Objective: The aim of the present study was to perform quantitative and mathematical analysis of mental foramen (MF) along with its correlation with study subject's sex and age using three-dimensional imaging like cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Materials And Methods: The CBCT scan images stored in the database were used in this study. Two-hundred sixty-seven scans were selected. They were divided into four different age-groups. These age-groups were 16-23 years, 24-38 years, 39-55 years, and more than 56 years. Each age-group was further divided into two subgroups. One subgroup was of males, while the other subgroup was of females. Following this, there was evaluation of all CBCT-scanned images considering certain parameters like position of MF, size of MF, distance X, distance Y, and distance Z.

Results: The MF was located generally apically to the premolar and molar. It was more commonly located between the first premolar and second premolar among females, while in males, it was mostly located along the long axis of the second premolar. In most of the age-groups, the MF was located between the long axis of the first premolar and second premolar. The average distance of MF from the apex of first premolar was 5.01 mm. Further, the average size of MF and its distance from the base of the mandible were greater in males as compared with females. When all these measurements were compared in different age-groups, the difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: The average distance of MF from the apex of the first premolar was 5.01 mm. The average size of MF and its distance from the base of the mandible were greater in males as compared with females. When the measurements were compared in different age-groups, then the difference was not statistically significant.

Clinical Significance: MF is an important structure in the mandible because it acts as an important landmark in the anesthetic procedure; therefore, there was a need to carry out detailed quantitative and mathematical analysis for MF.