Position of the mandibular foramen in relation to the occlusal plane in children with skeletal class malocclusion

Abstract

Purpose Inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) is frequently used in the procedures desired to be performed on the teeth in the mandible and the surrounding tissues. The aim of this study was to reveal the position of the mandibular foramen (MF) according to the malocclusion types on panoramic radiographs (PR) of children aged 9–18 years living with malocclusion in Turkey.Methods Panoramic and cephalometric radiographs of total 330 patients between 9–18 years old were retrospectively analyzed. The skeletal malocclusion types were grouped as Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 according on lateral cephalometric radiographs. The location of MF in malocclusion types was evaluated according to age and gender.Results It was observed that the distances to the occlusal plane, posterior edge and gonion point increased with increasing age, while the distance to the anterior edge decreased. A significant difference was found according to age and gender in all malocclusion types (p < 0.05)Conclusion It was observed that the MF was positioned upward parallel to the increase in age and approached the midpoint of the mandibular ramus from the posterior. The fact that FM is positioned higher than occlusal plane in Class 3 malocclusions compared to other types and differs by gender will guide clinicians in providing effective and safe IANB in pediatric malocclusions.