Radiographic and anatomic locations of mental foramen in northern Nigerian adults

This study was undertaken to provide information on the most probable positions of the mental foramen among northern Nigerian adults. 157 panoramic radiographs randomly selected from patient's records at the Department of Dental Surgery, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and 32 unsexed mandibles from the collection of bones in the Department of Human Anatomy, University of Maiduguri, were examined for the location of the mental foramen. The most common location was the interdental space between the first and second mandibular premolars (radiographs=34% , dry mandibles=32.8% ), closely followed by the position apical to the second premolars (radiographs=25.5% , dry mandibles=35.9% ). No significant difference in the distribution between males and females and the quantitative position was found to be bilaterally symmetrical in most cases. There is almost an equal chance of locating the mental foramen between the mandibular premolars and apical to the mandibular second premolar. This is of clinical importance with regards to the achievement of effective mental nerve block anaesthesia and the prevention of injury to the mental nerve during surgical procedures.