The inferior alveolar artery in its bony course

Based on the dissection of 30 hemi-mandibles, the authors report a study of the inferior alveolar artery in its intraosseous course. On morphologic considerations they propose a classification of the collaterals into two groups: the principal collaterals destined for the teeth and the bony alveolar tissue and the secondary collaterals destined for the sheath and the nerve as well as the bony tissue around the canal. Loss of the teeth and absorption of the alveolar bone modify the caliber of the inferior alveolar arterial axis, the distribution of its collaterals and possibly its mode of termination. These facts suggest a consideration of the vascularization of the mandible in terms of four sectors. They arrive at practical conclusions that may be drawn from this study in stomatology.