Assessment of morphological and anatomical characteristics of mental foramen using cone-beam computed tomography in terms of age and gender

Objective: Accurate recognition of morphological characteristics of mental foramen reduces the possibility of adverse effects. This study investigated the morphological characteristics of the mental foramen and compared them between two different genders and on both sides of the mandible in different age ranges using CBCT.

Materials and methods: In this study, 258 mandibular CBCT scans were used to describe the morphological and anatomical characteristics of mental foramen in terms of gender and age. The data were analyzed with SPSS using chi-squared test and independent t-test.

Results: The results showed no significant difference in the frequency of foramen shapes on the right and the left sides. There were also no significant differences in the frequency of foramen shapes and the horizontal and vertical positions of the mental foramen between males and females on the right side. 

Conclusion: In this study, no significant difference was observed in the frequency of the vertical position of the mental foramen in terms of side (right and left), age ranges, and gender.