Macarena Rodríguez-Luengo; Andres Pizarro-Leighton; Nicole Tapia-Brahland;Juan José Valenzuela- Fuenzalida; María Fernanda Villalobos-Dellafiori; Patricio Meléndez-Rojas & Sven Niklander-Ebensperger.

Summary

The mandibular incisive canal (MIC) contains anterior branches of the inferior alveolar nerve, which can be damaged during surgical procedures in the interforaminal region. Therefore, it is relevant to determine the frequency and characteristics of the MIC using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). This was an observational descriptive study with a sample of 682 CBCT hemi- arches. Frequency, dimensions, and topography of the MIC were determined using descriptive statistics. Student's t-test and ANOVA were used to establish associations with gender, age, and laterality. The frequency of the MIC was 98.83 %, with a laterality of 97.37 % and 96.78 % for the right and left sides, respectively. The mean length of the MIC was 8.00 and 8.13 mm (right and left sides, respectively). The degree of visualization can be observed to decrease from lower first premolar to lower central incisor. When analyzing the mean distance of the MIC with respect to the vestibular cortical, lingual cortical, inferior margin, apical, and marginal bone ridge, it was observed that the shortest distance is in relation to the vestibular cortical while the longest distance is with the marginal bone ridge at the level of all teeth analyzed, except for the lower lateral incisor and lower central incisor where the shortest distance was found in relation to the lingual cortical. As the MIC moves from lateral to medial, the mean distance with the lower mandibular margin decreases, while with the marginal bone ridge and vestibular cortical it increases. The MIC has a high frequency in the population without gender or laterality preference, therefore, an individual analysis using CBCT is suggested when performing a preoperative assessment. KEY WORDS: Mandibular canal; Mental foramen; Cone beam computed tomography; Anatomy.

How to cite this article

RODRÍGUEZ-LUENGO, M.; PIZARRO-LEIGHTON, A.; TAPIA-BRAHLAND, N.; VALENZUELA-FUENZALIDA, J.J.; VILLALOBOS-DELLAFIORI, M.F.; MELÉNDEZ-ROJAS, P. & NIKLANDER-EBENSPERGER, S. Evaluation of the mandibular incisor canal through cone beam computed tomography. Int. J. Morphol., 43(2):401-409, 2025.