Until a century ago, Korean medicine was based mainly on Oriental philosophies and ideas. From a religious perspective, Chinese Confucianism was prevalent in Korea at that time. Since Confucianists believe that it is against one's filial duty to harm his or her body, given to them by their parents, most Koreans did not donate their bodies or organs for education in the past. However, by the end of the 20th century, a unique fusion of Western and Oriental medicines were produced on the Korean Peninsula, revolutionizing traditional perspectives on the human body, mortality, and the relationship of medical science to society. Koreans began to think about others' lives as well as their own by realizing the importance of donating one's organs and bodies for scientific purposes. Since then, the number of people donating their bodies to Korean medical and dental schools for the purpose of improving academic learning has increased dramatically. In response, Korean medical schools have begun to hold various types of funeral ceremonies to honor body donors. We have compared such ceremonies performed in Korea with those performed in the United States of America and Taiwan. These ceremonies are viewed as a suitable way to pay proper respect to the dead and to promote knowledge about body donation programs in Korea. Overall, the transition of religions and social ethics in Korea has greatly facilitated body bequeathal programs, benefiting both medical education and the Korean public health administration.

This study examines the anatomic relationships and variability of the facial nerve trunk and its branches, with emphasis on the intraparotid connections between the divisions. Microdissections were performed on 30 Korean half-heads, and the facial nerve trunks and branches were exposed. The average depth of the stylomastoid foramen from the skin surface was 21.0 +/- 3.1 mm, and the distance between the stylomastoid foramen and the bifurcation of the temporofacial (upper) and cervicofacial (lower) divisions was 13.0 +/- 2.8 mm. In 26 of 30 dissections (86.7%), the facial nerve trunk bifurcated into two main divisions, and a trifurcation pattern was seen in the other four cases (13.3%). According to the origin of the buccal branches, we classified the branching patterns of the facial nerve into four categories. In type I (13.8% of cases), the buccal branches arose from the two main divisions of the trunk but not from other branches of the facial nerve. In type II (44.8% of cases), the buccal branches arising from the two main divisions were interconnected with the zygomatic branch. In type III (17.3% of cases), the marginal mandibular branch sent nerve twigs to the buccal branch, which originated from the upper and lower divisions. In type IV (17.3% of cases), the nerve twigs from the zygomatic and marginal mandibular branches merged to the buccal branch arising from the two main divisions. Communications between the facial and auriculotemporal nerve branches, which are known as "communicating auriculotemporal nerves," were observed in 28 of the 30 cases (93.3%). Familiarity with these common variations in the facial anatomy provides useful information for the surgeon in careful dissection, preservation of the facial nerve, and complete removal of the tumors in parotidectomies.

The mandible is the largest and hardest facial bone and retains its shape better than other bones in the forensic and physical anthropologic field. The mandible can be used to distinguish among ethnic groups and between sexes. We examined the morphological characteristics of the mandibles of 102 Koreans of either sex. Of 13 nonmetric items of the mandible, the characteristic that best allowed the sexes to be distinguished was the contour of the lower border of the mandible: rocker-shaped mandibles predominated in males (68.1%), whereas most females (84.6%) exhibited a straight mandible. In addition, the mental region was shaped differently between the sexes: the shape of the chin in most males was generally bilobate or square (91.7%), whereas the chin in females was either square (45.5%) or pointed (54.5%). In this study, the positive predict values of male and female were 92.5% and 73.7%, respectively. Therefore, the nonmetric method used to analyze the mandible in this study can be used for sex discrimination.

Objective: To elucidate relationships between the dental roots and surrounding tissues in order to prevent complications after placement of a miniscrew. Materials and Methods: Twenty human mandibles and maxillas were used for this study. In the 200 sections of each mandible and maxilla, nine items were measured to investigate the relationships between the dental roots. Results: The interroot distance increased from anterior to posterior teeth and from the cervical line to the root apex in both the maxilla and the mandible. In the maxilla, the greatest interroot distance was between the second premolar and the first molar. In the mandible, the greatest interroot distance was between the first and second molars. The maxillary buccolingual bone width exceeded 10 mm from 7 mm (between canine and first premolar), 5 mm (between second premolar and first molar), and 4 mm (between first and second molars) above the cervical line. The mandibular buccolingual bone width exceeded 10 mm from 7 mm (between second premolar and first molar) and 4 mm (between first and second molars) below the cervical line. Conclusions:The safest zone for placement of a miniscrew in the maxilla was between the second premolar and the first molar, from 6 to 8 mm from the cervical line. The safest zone for placement of a miniscrew in the mandible was between the first and second molars, less than 5 mm from the cervical line. (Angle Orthod. 2009;79:37-45.)

The aim of this study was to determine the detailed anatomical structures of the superficial part of the masseter and to elucidate the boundaries and locations of the deep tendon structure within the superficial part of the masseter. Forty-four hemifaces from Korean and Thai embalmed cadavers were used in this study. The deep tendon structure was located deep in the lower third of the superficial part of the masseter. It was observed in all specimens and was designated as a deep inferior tendon (DIT). The relationship between the masseter and DIT could be classified into three types according to the coverage pattern: Type A, in which areas IV and V were covered by the DIT (27%, 12/44); Type B, in which areas V and VI were covered by the DIT (23%, 10/44); and Type C, in which areas IV, V, and VI were covered by the DIT (50%, 22/44). The superficial part of the masseter consists of not only the muscle belly but also the deep tendon structure. Based on the results obtained in this morphological study, we recommend performing layer-by-layer retrograde injections into the superficial and deep muscle bellies of the masseter.