Canizales Caicedo Marco Tulio; Bedoya Pérez José Fernando; Fernández Sánchez Andrés; Medina Suárez Harold; García Garcés Bernardo Arturo & Jaramillo Cardozo Martha Isabel

Summary

This study examined the anatomical communication between the lingual nerve and the mylohyoid nerve in cadavers from a southwestern Colombian population. Given the clinical importance of these neural connections in dentistry and oral surgery, alongside the limited anatomical data available for this region, the objective was to document their presence and variability. The research was conducted on seven male cadavers preserved in formalin, obtained from the National Institute of Legal Medicine, Tuluá branch. Dissections were performed at the Morphology Laboratory of the Central Unit of Valle. The methodology involved dissections in two stages: a superficial dissection from the menton to the upper region of the sternum and a second, deeper dissection of the mandibular ramus and the angle of the mandible. Nerve length and pathway were recorded, along with their relationships to adjacent neurovascular structures, documented through photographs and illustrative graphics. Results indicated communication between the lingual nerve and mylohyoid nerve in five of the seven cadavers, with 40 % displaying bilateral connections and 60 % unilateral, predominantly on the left side. These findings suggest that this neural communication is relatively common in the studied sample. In conclusion, the high prevalence of lingual nerve- mylohyoid nerve communication may have clinical implications for surgical and anesthetic procedures. Expanding the study to a larger sample across diverse geographical regions is recommended to verify the frequency of these variations, as well as conducting genetic and epigenetic studies to understand their origins. KEY WORDS: Communication; Anatomical Variation; Lingual Nerve; Mylohyoid Nerve.

How to cite this article

CANIZALES, C. M. T.; BEDOYA, P. J. F.; FERNANDEZ, S. A.; MEDINA, S. H.; GARCIA, G. B. A. & JARAMILLO, C, M. I. Communication between the lingual nerve and the mylohyoid nerve in a population from southwestern Colombia. Int. J. Morphol., 43(2):360-364, 2025.