The mandibular canal divides into the mental and incisive canals at the premolar region, forms the anterior loop which crosses anterior to the mental foramen, and turns back to reach the mental foramen. The aim of this study was to elucidate the general anatomical structure of the anterior loop of the mandibular canal using morphometry. Twenty-six hemimandibles from 19 cadavers (16 males, 3 females; mean age at death, 54.4 years) were studied by meticulous dissection with the aid of a surgical microscope. The location of the anterior loop, the diameters of the mandibular, mental, and incisive canals, and their distances from bony landmarks were measured using digital calipers. The anterior loop of the mandibular canal was located 3.05±1.15 mm (mean±SD) anterior to the anterior margin of the mental foramen and 2.72±1.41 mm inferior to the superior margin of the mental foramen, and was 4.34±1.46 mm long. The diameters of the mandibular, mental, and incisive canals were 2.8±0.49, 2.63±0.64, and 2.22±0.59 mm, respectively. The distances between the inferior border of the mandible and each of these canals were 7.82±1.52, 10.11±1.27, and 9.08±1.66 mm, respectively. The anterior loop of the mandibular canal was located a mean of 3.1 mm anterior and 2.7 mm inferior to the mental foramen, and continued upward and backward into the mental canal, and forward into the incisive canal. These detailed morphological features of the anterior loop of the mandibular canal represent useful practical anatomical knowledge regarding the interforaminal region.

Root coverage in the mandibular anterior region is challenging because of a thin gingival biotype, shallow vestibule, and high frenum attachment. Several methods have been introduced to predict the root coverage in this area. Stimmelmayr proposed a method of performing root coverage using a combination epithelialized-subepithelial connective tissue graft (CTG). However, it is difficult to precisely acquire connective tissue according to this method. Therefore, in this case report, we would like to introduce a technique to harvest a partially deepithelialized CTG (PE-CTG) aided by a high-speed handpiece, which helps in procuring the graft easily and quickly. This method could lower the patient’s morbidity at donor sites and enhance the healing process. Additionally, it could increase the amount of keratinized gingiva in the mandibular anterior region without reducing the vestibular depth. Therefore, PE-CTG using a high-speed handpiece can be a promising treatment option for the root coverage of the mandibular anterior teeth.

Background/purpose Due to the pneumatization of the maxillary sinus, the sinus floor augmentation is often performed to implant placement in the maxillary posterior region. The aim was to perform radiographic and histomorphometric evaluation after placement of mixed allografts (cortical freeze-dried bone allograft [FDBA] 50%:cancellous FDBA 50%) during sinus floor augmentation. Materials and methods In 37 patients, anorganic bovine bone (ABB, sites = 16), mineralized cancellous bone allograft (MCBA, sites = 15), and mixed allografts (Mixed AG, sites = 20) were placed during sinus floor elevation via the lateral approach (LSFE), at total 51 sites with residual alveolar bone height (RBH) < 5 mm. Cone-beam computed tomography images were obtained before LSFE (T0), after surgery (T1), and 6 months after surgery (T2) for radiographic analysis. After a 6-month healing period, core biopsies were harvested and histomorphometric analysis was performed. Results The mean augmented bone height (ABH) of ABB, MCBA, and mixed AG groups after surgery was similar (13.86 ± 4.19 mm, 13.99 ± 4.07 mm, and 14.20 ± 3.12 mm, respectively; P > 0.05). The mean ABH of ABB, MCBA, and mixed AG groups after 6 months was similar (13.72 ± 4.55 mm, 11.83 ± 3.31 mm, and 12.53 ± 2.97 mm, respectively; P > 0.05). In the ABB, MCBA, and mixed AG groups, the proportion of newly formed bone (NB) was similar (36.13 ± 10.01%, 39.26 ± 10.72%, and 31.27 ± 18.31%, respectively; P > 0.05). Conclusion This result demonstrated that mixed AG led to sufficient bone augmentation and histologically comparable NB formation as compared to ABB and MCBA for sinus floor augmentation.

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This study aimed to compare the vertical and horizontal bone augmentation achieved when using different types of titanium mesh (Timesh) on edentulous atrophic maxilla. Surgical intervention was performed in the maxillary molar area of three patients. One patient received A type Ti-mesh (aTM; pore size: 0.9 mm, thickness: 0.1 mm), and placement of one implant was carried out after 6 months. The remaining two patients received B type Ti-mesh (bTM; pore size: 1.7 mm, 3.37 mm; thickness: 0.3 mm;), and 4 implants were placed after 6 months. The findings showed that both types of Ti-mesh were associated with good feasibility and predictability with regard to vertical and horizontal bone augmentation. Pore size did not affect the amount of bone regenerated for implant placement. However, bTM was associated with several advantages, including decreased operation time and increased convenience during guided bone regeneration surgery.