Morphological Investigation of Mandibular Lingula: A Literature Review

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to review the literature on the shape of the mandibular lingula. Methods: English articles published from 1970 to 2021 in databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase) were selected. Articles meeting the search strategy were evaluated based on the eligibility criteria (participants aged 18 years and over). Dry mandibles and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were used as research materials. The shapes of mandibular lingula were classified as triangular, truncated, nodular, and assimilated. Results: Based on the eligibility criteria, 10 articles (six with dry mandibles and four with CBCT images) were selected for full-text reading and detailed examination. In the dry mandible group, triangular, truncated, nodular, and assimilated lingula were observed on 446, 398, 232, and 69 sides, respectively. In the CBCT group, nodular, truncated, triangular, and assimilated lingula were observed on 892, 517, 267, and 88 sides, respectively. Therefore, the most common lingula types in the dry mandible and CBCT groups were different. The assimilated type was the least common in both groups. Conclusion: In the dry mandible group, the most common lingula type was triangular, followed by truncated, nodular, and assimilated types. In the CBCT group, the most common lingula type was nodular, followed by truncated, triangular, and assimilated types. There were no significant differences in lingula types between the left and right sides of the mandible.

The complete anatomy of the mandibular lingula: a meta-analysis with clinical implications

“…A previous study performed by Tuli et al [4] reported four shape variations of the ML; 68.5% of triangular shaped ML, 15.8% of truncated shape, 10.9% of nodular, and 4.8% of assimilated shape. Somewhat similarly, Hsu et al [56] observed variation of shape predominance based on the method of study, namely dry mandible and CBCT; in the dry mandibular study, the predominant shape of the ML was found to be 39% triangular, while in CBCT the most frequent shape found was nodular in 50.6% of studied cases. Both studies, however, concluded that the least common shape variation of the ML was the assimilated type.…”

“…The second most common bilateral shape was found to be truncated, with a prevalence rate of 68.58%, followed by nodular (64.79%) and assimilated (62.11%). Hsu et al [56] also reported a predominance of bilateral symmetry among both the investigated dry mandible and CBCT study groups. With respect to gender-determining factors, Alves and Deana [7] claimed that the truncated type was found more commonly in women, while triangular was found more commonly in men.…”

Three‐dimensional evaluation of mandibular lingula: Comparisons of skeletal angle classifications and growth patterns

“…[10][11][12][13][14]17,18 The findings in this field have been controversial due to variations in the evaluation techniques employed and the need for consistent reference planes defined in these studies. 2,4,13,17,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25] These controversies include not only the absolute values of the measurements regarding the ML reference point, but also the correlation between factors such as gender, angle classification and growth pattern on the ML position.…”