Morphometric Parameters of Mandibular Foramen in Adult Dry Mandible and Its Relationship with Side and Gender

Abstract

Background: The mandibular foramen enters the mandible obliquely centering on the medial aspect of the ramus. The inferior alveolar artery, vein and nerve enter the mandible at this aperture and pass through the bone via the mandibular canal. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in the Department of Anatomy at Rajshahi Medical College, Rajshahi over a period of one year from January 2021 to December 2021. This study was conducted on 250 dried adult human mandibles (148 male and 102 female) gathered from the students at different Medical Colleges which mandibles met the eligibility criteria. The data were gathered purposively using a semi-structured questionnaire. All measurements were taken with digital sliding Vernier calipers and the results were analyzed via SPSS software, version 24.0. All tests were statistically significant at the acceptable probability level (p < 0.05). Results: The study revealed that more than 98% mandibular foramens were oval in shape. Among eight parameters, most of the difference between the right and left halves were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), except for the distance from the midpoint of the MF to the lowest point of the mandibular notch (MN), distance of mandibular foramen to symphysis menti and horizontal diameter of mandibular foramen which were statistically significant (p < 0.05) for all tests. Male mandibles had significantly higher distances from the midpoint of the MF to the anterior border (AB), posterior border (PB), lowest point of the mandibular notch (MN), inferior border (IB) to the base of the mandible, angle of the mandible and symphysis menti of both halves compared to females (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study might be helpful in developing a reference database in our country for anatomists in general, dental surgeons and maxillofacial surgeons.