Morphology and Variant Anatomy of the Mandibular Canal in a Kenyan Population: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Study

Abstract

Study Design Descriptive cross-sectional study. Objective The mandibular canal (MC) exhibits surgically significant anatomical variations in its course and terminal segment among different ethnic groups. The aim of this study was to document a surgically relevant position of the MC, its variants, and related anatomical structures in dentate patients from a select Kenyan population. Methods 351 hemi mandibular cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans from 202 patients were used to evaluate the MC and mental foramen (MF) for normal morphology, anatomical variations, and their linear relationship to various reference points. Results The most frequently encountered course of the MC was the progressive descent type seen in 241 (68.7%) scans. Accessory MC were observed in 15 (4.3%) scans. Accessory MF were observed in 29 (8.3%) scans. The mean diameter of the MC was 3.36 ± .39 mm. The orientation of the MC was more lingual towards the angle of the mandible and more buccal towards the MF. The most frequent position of the main MF in relation to the second premolar was anterior (53.3%). The average distance from the MF to the inferior border of the mandible was 12.17 ± 1.91 mm. The anterior loop of the mental nerve was observed in 18 (5.1%) scans and its mean length was 4.83 ± .89 mm. Conclusions Our study revealed significant variations in the position, size, and course of the MC and MF. This knowledge should assist oral surgeons to avoid inadvertent injury to the inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle in the local population.