Cone beam computed tomography observations of the lingual foramina and their bony canals in the median region of the mandible.

PURPOSE To investigate by means of CBCT the presence of lingual foramina and their bony canals in the midline of the mandible and to describe their anatomical characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS CBCT examinations of 36 patients were carefully examined in the median region of the mandible in order to detect the lingual foramina and their corresponding vascular canals. Their presence, number, position, diameter and trajectory were established. RESULTS Lingual foramina in the midline of the mandible were observed in all 36 subjects. The number of canals varied from one to four, with the following distribution: one canal in 71.9% of the cases, two canals in 9.4%, three in 15.6%, and four canals in 3.1% of the cases. The average diameter of the canals was 0.84 mm. The average distance from the foramina to the base of the mandible was of 11.2 mm. 19.4% of the vascular canals penetrated only the lingual third of the width, 52.8% reached the middle third of the mandible and 27.8% of the canals spread to the buccal third. CONCLUSIONS CBCT is a useful tool in planning an implant treatment. It can reveal multiple anatomic features of the mandible, including the presence and the morphology of the lingual foramina and their vascular canals in the median region of the mandible. Clinicians should acknowledge the presence of these anatomical structures and should be aware of their possible implications.