MENTAL FORAMEN AND INFERIOR ALVEOLAR CANAL- A BEACON FOR SEX DETERMINATION BY DIGITAL RADIOGRAPH IN NORTH INDIAN POPULATION OF PUNJAB REGION

Abstract

BACKGROUND Imperative eminent landmark, the mental foramen (MF) and inferior alveolar canal share their significance in various fields of dentistry. Among various anatomical landmarks in the human skull, the mental foramen is regarded as a stable landmark on the mandible. Likewise, inferior alveolar canal is a benchmark for performing numerous procedures on the mandible. The present study is an attempt to aid not only the surgeons who plan procedures like periapical endodontic surgeries, drainage procedures and administration of local anaesthetics but also is a guiding tool for identification purposes in forensic science. The need arises in mass fatalities and disasters when expertise is required. Therefore, sound knowledge regarding the anatomical location of the MF and shape of the mandibular canal are of key importance. METHODS 150 panoramic radiographs were randomly selected for the analysis of mental foramen and inferior alveolar canal. The radiographs were digitalized and studied. Adobe Acrobat reader software was used. RESULTS The average values of SMF-IBM and IMF-IBM is more in males as compared to females. The p value was found to be significant for both the genders and for both the sides. In this study, the most frequent position of the mental foramen was in the longitudinal axis of 2nd premolars and was located symmetrically. It was not significant for both males and females. Chi square test analysis and p value for the shapes of the inferior alveolar canal was not significant for both the genders. The inter mental foramen distance showed mean of 3.03 mm for males and for females, 2.89 mm. According to the chi-square test, the results show that the study is statistically insignificant since the p-value is > 0.05 for both the male and female population. CONCLUSIONS Based on the results of this study, the distances from the mental foramen and inferior border of mandible exhibit sexual dimorphism in the North-Indian population of Punjab. Panoramic radiography is a valuable technique for evaluating the proposed measurements. The limitations should be considered and further studies with a larger sample size, along with the use of other higher modalities is required.