Localization of the Mental and Infraorbital Foramen with related to the Soft-tissue Landmarks

ABSTRACT

During maxillofacial surgery, the infraorbital and mental nerves are blocked at eac foramen to induce local anesthesia. This study examined the relative locations of the infraorbital foramen (IOF) and mental foramen (MF) based on soft-tissue landmarks. Twenty-eight hemifacial cadavers were dissected to expose the IOF and MF. The distances between the bilateral IOFs, the bilateral MFs, the alae of the nose (alares), and the corners of the mouth (cheilions) were measured directly on cadavers by using a digital vernier caliper. The vertical and horizontal distances of the IOF and MF relative to the alare and cheilion were measured indirectly on digital photographs using Adobe Photoshop (Adobe, CA, USA). The distance between the bilateral IOFs (58.09 +/- 4.04 mm) was longer than the distance between the bilateral MFs (50.32 +/- 1.93 mm). The distances between the bilateral alares and cheilions were 41.22 +/- 3.44 mm and 58.43 +/- 6.62 mm, respectively. The IOF was located 12.92 +/- 3.75 mm superior and 7.88 +/- 2.56 mm lateral to the alare, and the vertical angle (Angle 1) between these structures was 31.67 +/- 13.36degrees superolaterally. The MF was located 21.83 +/- 3.26 mm inferior and 5.56 +/- 3.37 mm medial to the cheilion, and the vertical angle (Angle 2) between these structures was 14.05 +/- 10.12degrees inferomedially. In conclusion, these results provide more detailed information about the locations of the IOF and MF relative to soft-tissue landmarks.