Undetected Small Accessory Mental Foramina Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

The accessory foramina could not be identified on some imaging modalities such as surface-rendered images. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of surface-rendered images in detecting these foramina. We analyzed 20 accessory mental foramina (AMF) in nine mandibles removed from ca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2017-05, Vol.9 (5), p.e1210-e1210
Main Authors: Iwanaga, Joe, Watanabe, Koichi, Saga, Tsuyoshi, Kikuta, Shogo, Tabira, Yoko, Kitashima, Sadaharu, Fisahn, Christian, Alonso, Fernando, Tubbs, R Shane, Kusukawa, Jingo, Yamaki, Koh-Ichi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatomy & physiology
Jaw
Maxillofacial surgery
Radiology
Three dimensional imaging
Tomography
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Summary:The accessory foramina could not be identified on some imaging modalities such as surface-rendered images. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of surface-rendered images in detecting these foramina. We analyzed 20 accessory mental foramina (AMF) in nine mandibles removed from cadavers with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and assessed in surface-rendered images. All AMF were divided into three groups depending on their visibility. Group 1 included AMF that were clearly visible as foramina, Group 2 were not clearly visible but could be recognized with concave parts, and Group 3 were not visible and the smooth surface of the bone was observed. Group 1 ranged from 1.3 to 5.1 mm , Group 2 from 0.3 to 3.8 mm , and Group 3 from 0.2 to 1.1 mm . A statistically significant difference in the mean size between Groups 1 and 3 was observed. Even if the AMF are smaller (e.g., 1 mm in diameter), they should still be avoided to prevent injury. The clinician should be aware that smaller foramina might not be detected on these images.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.1210