Evaluation of the Course of the Inferior Alveolar Canal: The First CBCT Study in an Iranian Population

BACKROUND The frequent anatomical variations of the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) course should be considered prior to any treatment in this area. The aim of this study was to evaluate the course of the inferior alveolar canal (IAC) as it appears in the archived CBCT images of the mandible. MATERIAL/METHOD This cross- sectional study evaluated a sample of 156 CBCT examinations. The pattern of the IAC was evaluated and the prevalence of different patterns according to age and gender were recorded. In order to find the frequency of mandibular canal type among different ages, the patients were put into the three age groups (20-29, 30-44 and 45-59).The data were analyzed using Chi-square test and the significance level was set as p≤.05. RESULTS Out of 156 patients, 52 canals was straight type, 52 had Catenary type and 52 of them were presented with Progressive descending type. There was not statistically significant difference between two genders (Pv=0.092). According to the type of the IAC course, there was a not statistically significant difference between the three age groups (Pv=0.32). CONCLUSIONS Cone beam computed tomography is a useful method for precise assessment of the IAC course.