Study on Morphology and Morphometric of Mental Foramen in Adult Human Mandibles of Kathmandu Valley Population

The mental foramen (MF) is situated on the anterolateral aspect of the body of mandible. It gives path to mental nerve and vessels. The aim of this study is to providing data on morphology and morphometric of mental foramen helping surgeons to carry out various surgical procedures. A total of 45 human dry mandibles were examined in the Anatomy Department of Kantipur Dental College Teaching Hospital & Research Center, Kathmandu. Parameters like incidence, position, direction, shape and diameters of mental foramen were studied. The mental foramen was present in all the forty five mandibles and is bilateral. The most common shape was round shape in both right and left sides. In the present study the round mental foramen was 75.55 % and oval in 24.44 % on the right side. Similarly on the left side, it was round in 82.22 % & oval in 17.77 %. Round mental foramen was present bilaterally in 13.33 % cases and oval in 2.22 % cases. The accessory mental foramen was found in 11.11 % on the right side and 4.44 % on the left side. This study may be useful for the surgeons, anaesthetists, neurosurgeons and dentists to carry out nerve block and surgical procedures preventing injury to the related neurovascular structures.