Săndulescu M. 1
1 Faculty of Dental Medicine, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy
Abstract
The anterior region of the mandibular alveolar ridge, located between the two mental foramens, represents the area of election for the placement of dental implants in totally edentulous patients, in order to improve the retention of complete dentures. Although the anatomical landmarks of the mandibular bone have been extensively studied over the time, the vascularization of the alveolar bone still represents a subject of debate. We have evaluated the cone beam computed tomography files of 136 randomly selected patients. For each patient we have evaluated the number and location of lingual canals, by measuring the distance to the superior border of the alveolar ridge (vertical position) and the distance to the midline (horizontal position). We have identified at least one lingual canal in every one of the 126 patients included in the study (100%).The majority of the patients (34.12%) presented 2 lingual canals, followed by patients with a single canal (32.53%). In 23 cases we have identified 3 lingual canals (18.25%), in 13 cases 4 canals, while 4 patients (3.17%) presented 5 canals and 2 (1.58%) 6 lingual canals. The average distance from the lingual canals to the superior border of the alveolar ridge was 17.15 mm, with a maximum of 29.29 mm and a minimum of 6.05 mm. We recommend a thorough preoperative evaluation of the presence of these lingual canals, in order to avoid injury to their vascular contents during bone drilling and dental implant placement.