This decline is hazardous not only to the medical profession but also to society. Reforms consisting of balanced rescheduling of medical curricula and optimum resource allocation have been proposed to improve the standard of education of doctors.

Objectives: Analysis of morphometry and incidences of mental and accessory mental foramina are important for dental surgeons in nerve block and surgical procedures to avoid injury to neurovascular bundle. This study was carried out to present such data on mental and accessory mental foramina in Indian population. Methods:The study experimented with 100 dried adult human mandibles. Size and position were determined using digital vernier callipers. Incidences and shapes of mental and accessory mental foramina were also observed.Results: Bilateral mental foramina were presented in all one hundred mandibles. Accessory mental foramina were found in 8% on left side, 5% on right side and nil bilaterally. Mental foramina were predominantly rounded. Average diameters of mental and accessory mental foramina were measured as 2.68 mm and 1.00 mm, respectively. The percentages of locations of mental foramina below the apex of second premolar, between first and second premolars and between second premolar and first molar were found as 68.8, 17.8 and 11.5, respectively. Accessory mental foramina were located 0.67 mm lateral to mental foramen and below the apex of first molar tooth. Conclusion:This study may supplement very useful new data of variations in incidence, position, shape and size of mental and accessory mental foramina for Indian population which may help the surgeons, anaesthetists, neurosurgeons and dentists to help carrying out surgical procedures successfully.

We analyzed the variability in position, shape, size and incidence of the infraorbital foramen in Indian dry skulls as little literature is available on this foramen in Indians to prevent clinical complications during maxillofacial surgery and regional block anesthesia. Fifty-five Indian skulls from the Department of Anatomy CSM Medical University were examined. The 110 sides (left and right) of the skulls were analyzed by measuring the infraorbital foramina distances from infraorbital margin and the piriform aperture on both sides. The vertical and horizontal dimensions were also measured. All measurements were taken with a compass transferred to calipers and analyzed statistically. The mean distances between the infraorbital foramen and the infraorbital margin on the right and left side were 6.12 mm and 6.19 mm, respectively. The mean distances between the infraorbital foramen and the piriform aperture were 15.31 mm and 15.80 mm on the right and left sides, respectively. The mean vertical dimensions on the right and left side were 3.39 mm and 3.75 mm, respectively. The mean horizontal dimensions on the two sides were 3.19 mm and 3.52 mm. These results provide detailed knowledge of the anatomical characteristics and clinical importance of the infraorbital foramina which are of paramount importance for surgeons when performing maxillofacial surgery and regional block anesthesia.

Paralysis of the mental nerve is one of the principal complications of surgery of the mandibular canal and mental foramen region. Therefore, identification of mental foramen is important for dental surgeons in nerve block and surgical procedures like apico curettage of mandibular premolars, amalgam filling, peridental surgery etc. to avoid injury to neurovascular bundle. Accessory mental foramina tend to exist in the apical area of the first molar and posterior or inferior area of the mental foramen. The accessory branches of the mandibular canal showed common characteristics in the course of gently sloping posterosuperior direction in the buccal surface area. Verification of the existence of accessory mental foramina would prevent accessory nerve injury during periapical surgery. In root canal treatment, the possibility of accessory mental foramina-related nerve paresthesia seems low unless the mental foramen and mandibular canal are injured. Therefore, prior surgical knowledge of morphology and morphometry of mental and accessory mental foramen peculiar to particular block may enable effective mental block anaesthesia. Besides this, as mental foramen and accessory mental foramen have been found to vary in position in different ethnic groups. So, it is important to study the morphology and morphometry of mental foramen and accessory mental foramen. Hence this study was carried out. Present study was conducted using dried adult human mandibles of both sexes. Size and position were determined using digital vernier callipers. Incidences and shapes of mental foramen and accessory mental foramen were also observed. Mental foramen was present in all one hundred observed mandibles and it is bilateral. Accessory mental foramen was present in 8 percent on left side while on right side, it was 5 percent. None of the mandibles presented with bilateral accessory mental foramen. Shape was predominantly round with 94 percent on right side and 87 percent on left side while it was oval in 6 percent on right side and 13 percent on left side. Average size of mental foramen was 2.79 mm on right side while it was 2.57 mm on left side. Average size of accessory mental foramen was 1.00 mm varying from 0.5 mm to 4.00 mm. Mental foramen was located below the apex of second premolar in 68.8 percent mandibles while it is 17.8 percent between first and second premolars and in 11.5 percent, it is between second premolar and first molar. Accessory mental foramen lies 0.67 mm lateral to mental foramen and below the apex of first molar tooth.