Relative position of the mandibular foramen in different age groups of children: A radiographic study

Abstract

The mandible and its growth did not alter the position of the MF, both vertically and horizontally, in relation to different landmarks, and more obtuse GoA indicated an increased growth potential of the mandible. This has major implications in the inferior alveolar nerve block technique when used in children.

Age-related changes in the location of the mandibular and mental foramen in children with Mongoloid skeletal pattern

“…There have been differing findings in the literature; however, in this study, the mandibular foramen in children between the ages of 5-16 years remained constant in the middle mid-quadrant (M5) (Fig. 1) of the ramus of the mandible in 87.7 % of children, which is in agreement with other researchers (Benham 1976;Hwang et al 1990;Tsai 2004;Ono et al 2005;Ezoddini Ardakani et al 2010;Poonacha et al 2010) on children with Caucasoid and Mongoloid skeletal patterns.…”

“…A summary of the studies available is shown in Table 1. In children of Chinese (Tsai 2004), Brazilian (Kanno et al 2005), Indian (Poonacha et al 2010) and Korean (Kang et al 2013) ethnicity/nationalities, researchers reported that the mandibular foramen was located at the occlusal plane and moved superiorly with increasing age, which supports the current recommendation for the administration of inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB). In younger children, the mandibular foramen was reportedly located below the occlusal plane.…”

“…Researchers have used several methods to estimate dental age in children. Common methods are Demirjian's (Koshy and Tandon 1998;Liversidge et al 1999;Leurs et al 2005), Hellman's dental developmental stages (Tsai 2004;Poonacha et al 2010) and Willems (Mani et al 2008;NikHussein et al 2011). …”

Postoperative Positional and Dimensional Changes of Mandibular Canal after Bilateral Sagittal Split Set-Back Osteotomy

“…Hetson et al (22) showed it as just posterior to the midpoint of the ramus, which is similar to our results. Poonacha et al (23) showed this location near to the posterior border of the mandible in a group aged between 3 and 13 y. The results of this study and ours seem similar considering the posterior mandibular growth of Poonacha's study group.…”

“…It may be possible to reduce IAND after BSSO through a thorough evaluation of MC location and path preoperatively (22,23). A very detailed evaluation of IAN can be made using 3D imaging of MC (14,21).…”