One of the main anatomical landmarks in the mandible is the inferior alveolar foramen, through which the inferior alveolar nerve enters. A thorough understanding of the topography, surrounding structures and the precise location of this landmark is of great importance for the success of the blockade of this nerve in treatments performed on the mandible. The aim of this study was to compare the morphometric location of the inferior alveolar foramen in dry bones, panoramic radiographs and Cone beam CT scans. There were 20 adult dentate bony mandibles from the amphitheater of the Faculty of Dentistry, 20 panoramic radiographs and 20 Cone beam CT scans taken in the mandibles at the radiological center of the Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru. In the anatomical preparations it was found that the position of the inferior alveolar foramen was closer to the posterior margin of the ramus of the mandible on the right side (CG) (14.57±2.06), and was further from the lower margin on the right side (DH) 27.36±3.81. The analysis of variance showed that there are differences in the mandibular position between the measurements of the three types of morphometric measurements compared simultaneously, both for the right and left sides respectively (p=0.0000). The Pearson correlation test showed a greater correlation in the D-H measurement (p=0.85) on the right side, between the panoramic radiograph and the tomography. It is concluded that there are differences in the mandibular position between the measurements of the three types of morphometric measurements compared simultaneously, both for the right and left sides respectively. The position of the inferior alveolar foramen is closer to the posterior margin of the ramus of the mandible both in panoramic radiographs and in anatomical preparations.

KEY WORDS: Mandibular canal; Anthropometry; Digital dental radiography; Panoramic radiography; Cone beam computed tomography.

DELGADILLO-AVILA, J.; CÁCERES-GUTIÉRREZ, L.; CAMPODÓNICO-REÁTEGUI, C. ; ESPINOZA- ESCAJADILLO, S.; TEMOCHE-ROSALES, C.; MORENO- PRIETO, V. & TENORIO-ESTRADA, J. Anatomic position of the inferior alveolar foramen in Peruvians: comparison using three morphometric techniques. Int. J. Morphol., 43(1):237-243, 2025.