Frequency and Anatomic Variability of the Mandibular Lingual Foramina: A Cone-Beam CT Study

Abstract

Background to evaluate the distribution of lingual foramina (LF) and their correlation with demographic characteristics and mandible width in a series of patients subjected to cone-beam CT (CBCT). Methods CBCTs were reviewed to assess the number of all LF, midline and lateral LF. We also assessed the relationship of the number of lateral LF with gender and mandibular width using the Chi Square test. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results 300 patients (180 males; age range: 21-87years) were included. The highest frequency per patient was of 2 LF (97/300, 32.3%), followed by 3 (81/300, 27%) and 4 (53/300, 17.7%). No LF were observed in 2/300 patients (0.7%), while the highest number was of 8 LF in one patient. The highest frequency of midline LF per person was of 2 LF (57.3%, 172/300), while the highest number per person was 5 LF in one patient (0.3%). The highest frequency of midline LF located above and below the genial tubercle was of 1 in 197/300 patients (65.7%) and in 169/300 patients (56.3%), respectively. Concerning lateral LF, the highest frequencies were of 0 (113/300, 37.7%) and of 1 (112/300, 37.3%). We did not observe any significant difference of the number of midline and lateral LF based on gender (P = .438 and P = .195, respectively) or mandible width (P = .069 and P = .114, respectively). Conclusions We have shown the high variability of number and anatomic distribution of LF in an Italian group of patients subjected to CBCT without reporting any association with gender and mandible width.