Position and Symmetry of Mental Foramen in Orthopantomogram (OPG) - A Retrospective Observational Study

Abstract

The mandible is one of the unique bones and is the only movable component of mastication. The mental foramen is a small round/oval structure present in the mandible. Determining the position of is important for both diagnostic and clinical procedure. The aim of the current study is to analyze the position and symmetry of mental foramen in orthopantomogram (OPG). This is a retrospective clinical study carried out at Private dental institution. This study involves the analysis of orthopantomogram (OPGs) that were taken over a period of one year, from June 2019 to March 2000. A total of 500 OPGs were reviewed and retrieved and the position and symmetry of mental foramen (right and left) were examined. The collected data were subsequently analyzed in SPSS with p<0.05 as statistically significant. In this study, the position of mental foramen in both males and females was found to be between the first and second premolar for both male and female. The mental foramen was mostly found to be asymmetrical for both male and female (68.29% and 56.61% respectively), p-value 0.08 > 0.05, negative correlation. Thus, identification of the mental foramen is important for both diagnostic and clinical procedures.