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The location of the mandibular foramen (MF) on digital panoramic radiographs can be an important guide for clinicians when administering the inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) for dental anesthesia of the mandible. This study, aimed to assess the location of the MF relative to the anterior border (AB) of the ramus and the occlusal plane (OP) from digital panoramic radiographs. An observational case series study was conducted on digital panoramic radiographs from the oral and maxillofacial radiology department archives of patients at least 18 years of age with a 1:1 scale (100%). The samples had to have at least 2 lower molar teeth on both sides without any blurring, previous fracture of the ramus or other artifacts. The distance of the MF to the OP and the AB of the ramus was measured using a caliper. The role of age and gender were also analyzed statistically using the 2-way analysis of variance test. One hundred ninety-four digital panoramic radiographs were included in the analysis. The findings showed that the vertical distance of the MF to the OP was a maximum of 14.52 mm and a minimum of -3.0 mm (mean 4.32 ± 2.34 mm). The distance of the MF to the AB of the ramus was a maximum of 25.52 and a minimum 9.68 mm (mean 16.48 ± 3.28 mm). Based on these findings, the IANB target site for injection should be approximately 5 mm above the OP and approximately 16.5 mm beyond the AB of the ramus to achieve successful anesthesia of the mandible via standard IANB in an Iranian population.

Introduction To assess the effects of cleft lip and palate (CLP) on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) components using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methodology This historical cohort study evaluated 20 CBCT scans of the TMJ area of patients with unilateral CLP as the test group and 20 CBCT scans of the TMJ area of non-CLP controls with class I occlusion. The morphological properties and dimensions of the condyle, the thickness of the glenoid fossa and articular eminence, and the articular eminence angle were measured and recorded. The two groups were compared regarding the above-mentioned variables by the Chi-square or t test (alpha=0.05). Results The left and right axial condylar angles in CLP patients were significantly lower than the corresponding values in the control group by 1.8 degrees in the left and 2 degrees in the right side (p=0.005). The mediolateral condylar dimension at both sides was significantly lower in CLP patients than in the controls (p=0.001). The differences between the two groups were not significant in the anteroposterior condylar dimension, glenoid fossa thickness, and articular eminence thickness (p>0.05). The CLP patients had significantly lower articular eminence angle in the right side (p=0.016) but not in the left side (p>0.05), compared with the controls. Conclusion Unilateral CLP patients have lower axial condylar angle and mediolateral condylar dimension at both sides, and lower articular eminence angle in the right side than the controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]