Radiographic position of mental foramen in selected Pakistani population

ABSTRACT

To determine the frequency and percentage of different positions of Mental Foramen [ME] in Orthopentomogram [OPG], in horizontal and vertical relation to apices of teeth, in selected Pakistani population. A cross sectional study was undertaken on one thousand Orthopentomograms [OPGs] of adult patients of both gender with permanent dentition at least up to first molar teeth bilaterally having visible mental foramina. Material collected from three different centers of Karachi, namely. Department of Dental Radiology, Karachi Medical and Dental College, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics. Abbasi Shaheed Hospital Karachi and National Institute of oral diseases, Defence Karachi during a period of 1 year [from 15[th] Sep 2006 to 14[th] Sept 2007]. In horizontal axis, position wise MF was located in position 1,0 cases [0%], position 2,45 cases [4.5%]; position 3,404 cases [40.4%]; position 4.472 cases [47.2%]; position 5,71 cases [7.1%], and position 6, 8 cases [0.8%]. In horizontal axis MF is commonly located in area below and between root apex of first premolar tooth and upto below the apex of first molar tooth [position 2-6], when viewed on OPG. There is no evidence of location of mental foramen anterior/ median to the root apex of the first premolar tooth [Position 1]