Title

Mental foramen variability: A retrospective CBCT morphometric study

Authors

Nimisha Srivastava^1,*, Bhoomi¹, Rohit Sharma¹, Harshdeep Dhaliwal¹, Harshit Srivastava² & Saumya Jha¹ 

Affiliation

¹Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Nims Dental College and Hospital, Nims University Rajasthan, Jaipur, India; ²Department of Public Health Dentistry, Nims Dental College and Hospital, Nims University Rajasthan, Jaipur, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Nimisha Srivastava - E-mail: drnimisha20@gmail.com   

Bhoomi - E-mail: bhoomikashyap16@gmail.com

Rohit Sharma - E-mail: dr.rohit.sam@gmail.com  

Harshdeep Dhaliwal - E-mail: drharshdeepdhaliwal@gmail.com 

Harshit Srivastava - E-mail: srivastavadrharshit@gmail.com

Saumya Jha- E-mail: jhasaumya2799@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received July 1, 2026; Revised July 31, 2026; Accepted July 31, 2026, Published July 31, 2026
 

Abstract

The morphological variations of the mental foramen, its position, shape and the frequency of anterior loop of the inferior alveolar nerve represents a critical anatomic landmark in the mandible and serves as a passage for mental neurovascular bundle. Therefore, it is of interest to identify the morphometric variations of mental foramen and the anterior loop using CBCT. A retrospective analysis of 73 CBCT scans was performed with established classifications used for assessing MF characteristics and close loop prevalence. The MF was most often located between the first and second premolars or in line with the second premolar and was often apically positioned to the root apex with a slightly higher prevalence of an oval shape. No statistically significant association was observed between MF characteristics and gender or mandibular quadrant. Thus, data shows the CBCT remains an effective imaging modality for accurate pre-operative assessment and reducing the risk of neurovascular complications.

Keywords

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), mental foramen (MF), retrospective studies

Citation

Srivastava et al. Bioinformation 22(7): 3975-3979 (2026)

Edited by

P Kangueane

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.