Determination of presence and morphometry of lingual foramina and canals in Chilean mandibles using cone-beam CT images

Purpose: To describe the presence and anatomical characteristics of lingual foramina and canals using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in a sample of Chilean dry mandibles. Methods: Cone-beam computed tomography images of 68 adult mandibles of indeterminate sex and age were analyzed. The description of number and position of lingual foramina were tabulated using a position regarding the mental spines (superior, between, and inferior to the mental spines). Area and diameter of the foramina and length of the canals found were measured. Results: All the mandibles had one or more lingual foramen. The median was 3 foramina with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 4. The most frequent positions were superior and inferior with 88% and 85% of presence, respectively. The lingual canal diameter obtained for the superior position was 1.04 ± 0.38 mm, for the between position was 1.02 ± 0.5 mm, and finally 1 ± 0.3 mm for the inferior position. The lingual canal length for the superior position was 6.38 ± 2.4 mm, for the between position 6.77 ± 1.33, and 5.38 ± 0.25 mm for the inferior position. Conclusions: All the mandibles have one or more lingual foramina. The most frequent positions were superior and inferior. Many of the lingual foramina found were over 1 mm in diameter. The lingual canal length was over 5 mm for all the positions.