Study of mandibular foramen in relation to various landmarks on ramus of mandible along with its clinical significance in people of Gujarat region

Introduction: Mandibular foramen has its clinical importance in giving inferior alveolar nerve block very commonly give n in various dental procedures like removal of third molar tooth, Dental pain, Dentoalveolar trauma, Dry socket, Periapical abscess and in painful procedure on mandible or lower lip/chin. So it is very essential to know the anatomy of mandible particularly mandibular foramen which is situated just above the centre of the medial surface of the ramus of the mandibl e. Mandibular foramen gives passage to inferior nerve and vessels to sup ply the teeth of lower jaw. Mandibular foramen provides an important anatomical land mark. The inferior nerve block is the commonest local anaesthetic technique in clinical practice in dental procedures. There are chances of failure of Inferior alveolar nerve block failure due to its variations in position of. So it requires detailed anatomical study of mandibular foramen. This study aims to determine the exact position of mandibular foramen in relation to various landmark on mandible. We have studied dry adult human mandibles of people of Gujarat region. Materials and Methods: The material for the present study includes 100 adult dry human mandibles of unknown sex. These were collected from Govt. Medical College, Bhavnagar. All measurements were recorded using a sliding vernier caliper. Measurements were taken using below mentioned bony landmarks on the mandible. Results: The study shows mean distance of mandibular foramen to anterior border of ramus 17.052.70mm on right side and 17.353.00mm on left side, to posterior border of ramus was 10.412.13mm on right side and 9.722.06 mm on left side, to mandibular notch 21.502.81mm on right side and 21.883.31 mm on left side, base of man dible or inferior border was 22.203.28 mm on right side and 25.304.2mm on left side. Conclusion: The present study gives knowledge of the position of mandibular foramen and provides useful information for successful local anaesthesia (inferi