Position, shape and direction of the mental foramen in mandibles in South-Eastern Nigeria

Objectives: The mental foramen is an important anatomical and clinical landmark for undertaking a successful mental nerve anesthetic block during clinical and surgical procedures in the mandibular and mental region. This study was aimed at studying and documenting the position, shape and direction of opening of the mental foramen in dry mandibles in South-Eastern Nigeria. Methods: 66 dry adult human mandibles obtained from the region of study were used and the parameters visually examined. The position was determined in relation to the mandibular teeth, the shape was determined with the aid of a hand lens and the direction with the aid of a thin office pin inserted into the foramen. Results: The most prevalent position of the mental foramen was shown to be in line with the longitudinal axis of the second premolar teeth (58.33%) followed by the position between the second premolar and the first molar (25.76%). Round shaped foramen was more prevalent (75.76%) than the oval shaped foramen (25.24%) and the foramen pointed posterosuperiorly in 73.48% and anterosuperiorly in 21.21% of the mandibles. It was also observed that there were symmetrical occurrences in majority of the mandibles. Conclusion: The present study showed the average morphology of the mental foramen in the population studied. It may be useful in population diagnosis, clinical practices and in forensic medicine.