Incidence and Morphometry of Lingual Foramen in Adult Dry Mandibles

The mandible is the largest and strongest bone of the facial skeleton. The mandible has body occurring in 2 halves. Both halves unite together in the midline forming symphysis menti. The inner surface of the body of the mandible is also known as lingual surface. The literature search revealed presence of lingual foramen on the lingual surface of the mandible. The lingual foramen is reported to be present above, below, or lateral to genial tubercles of the mandible. The lingual foramen transmits neurovascular bundle, which may be injured during surgery involving lingual surface of the mandible, including lingual foramen. But the lingual foramen varies in incidence, location and number. So, in absence of detailed information related to lingual foramen may lead to intra- and postoperative complications. Hence, study is important. The aim of the study is to provide detailed information, including incidence, location, and number of lingual foramina. The study was conducted in the department of Anatomy using thirty mandibles. The number and location of lingual foramen were inspected visually and recorded. The incidence was calculated using Microsoft Excel 2021. The varied anatomy of the lingual foramina was correlated with clinical implications. The incidence of lingual foramen was 76.6% with range of 0 to 4. The most common location of this foramen was in the region of premolar teeth. The detailed information about the lingual foramen will be of utmost use to surgeons during placement of dental implants, management of fracture of mandible, and ridge augmentations.