Vol. 129 No. 1 (2025)
Original Article

Radiographic detection of anatomical variations in the mental foramen position in a sample of Salahuddin province population

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  • Ban Sedeeq,
  • Ali G. Abdullah,
  • Marwan Saad Azzubaidi
Ban Sedeeq
Department of Dental Anatomy, College of Dentistry, Tikrit University, Salahuddin Province, Iraq
Ali G. Abdullah
Department of Dental Anatomy, College of Dentistry, Tikrit University, Salahuddin Province, Iraq
Marwan Saad Azzubaidi
Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, 20400Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/ijae-15656

Published 2025-07-10

Keywords

  • mental foramen,
  • Salahuddin,
  • anatomical variation,
  • radiography

How to Cite

Sedeeq, B., Abdullah, A. G., & Azzubaidi, M. S. (2025). Radiographic detection of anatomical variations in the mental foramen position in a sample of Salahuddin province population. Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology, 129(1), 21–27. https://doi.org/10.36253/ijae-15656

Copyright (c) 2025 Ban Sedeeq, Ali G. Abdullah, Marwan Saad Azzubaidi

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The mental foramen (MF) is an important anatomical structure represented as a bilateral opening located on the buccal surface of the mandible, most often situated between the lower first and second premolars. This study was conducted to evaluate the size& position of mental foramen in the Iraqi population of Salahuddin province. A total of 146 OPG radiographs were included according to criteria of: Position 1: Situated anterior (medial) to the first premolar; Position 2: In line with the first premolar; Position 3: Between the first and second premolars; Position 4: In line with the second premolar; Position 5: Posterior (lateral) to the second premolar. The results revealed that the mental foramen was found most frequently at Position 4, in line with the second premolar (43.2%). Position 3, located between the first and second premolars, accounted for 31.5% of the cases. Positions 1 (anterior to the first premolar), 2 (in line with the first premolar), and 5 (posterior to the second premolar) were less common at 8.2%, 6.2%, and 11.0%, respectively. The average size of the mental foramen in the study population was 3.52 ± 0.56 mm. There was no statistically significant difference between males and females in the mental foramen size. Both groups demonstrated a similar mean size of 3.5 mm. This variation in the position of mental foramen may be due to several causes: developmental disturbances of the mandible during the fetal period, or position can be change as a consequence of dental loss and aging, as age advances and teeth are lost, the resorption of the alveolar ridges result in an apparent change in position of the mental foramen when measured from the superior border.

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