Fontenele R C, Gomes A F, Moreira N R, Costa E D, Oliveira M L, Freitas D Q. Do the location and dimensions of the mental foramen differ among individuals of different facial types and skeletal classes? A CBCT study. J Prosthet Dent 2021; doi: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2021.07.004. Online ahead of print.

The most frequent location of the mental foramen was between the first and second premolars, below their apices.

Knowledge about the location and dimensions of the mental foramen is important for surgical planning and implant placement in the posterior mandibular region. This study assessed the location and dimensions of the mental foramen in individuals of different facial type, skeletal class and sex by means of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. CBCT images of 142 individuals (72 women and 70 men) were classified according to the facial type and skeletal class. The vertical and horizontal locations of each mental foramen were evaluated on panoramic reconstructions, and the greatest height and width of the mental foramen were determined on multiplanar reconstructions. The facial type, skeletal class and sex did not influence the vertical or the horizontal location of the mental foramen. The most frequent location of the mental foramen was between the first and second premolars, below their apices. The dimensions of the mental foramen were not influenced by the studied factors in men but were in women.