A Unique Foramen on the Mental Protuberance of the Mandible

The mandible is an important component of the facial skeleton, and it possesses outer and inner surfaces. The main feature of the outer surface of the mandible is the presence of the mental foramen, which transmits the mental nerve and vessels. Old literature elaborates the presence of the mandibular incisive foramen on the symphysis menti. But the author of the present study detected a foramen on the mental protuberance that has not been reported so far. Hence study assumes great importance. The aim of the study is to expound on the foramen on the mental protuberance and correlate it with the clinical implications. The study was conducted in the department of Anatomy using 10 intact adult mandibles of unknown age and sex. The mandibles were inspected visually for the presence of the foramen under study. The diameter and distance of this foramen from the inferior border of the mandible were measured by vernier calipers. The 2 foramina were observed in 2 mandibles, constituting 20%. The mean distance of the foramen from the inferior border of the mandible was 1.25 mm, and the mean diameter of this foramen was 1 mm. The precise knowledge of this foramen and structures transmitted by it will be of utmost use for preoperative and perioperative procedures of oral and maxillofacial surgeries involving the mandible, especially in the inter-foraminal region.