Determining the mental foramen location in a Turkish population: A cone beam computed tomography study

Purpose: Mental foramen (MF) is defined as the gap generally located between the first and second premolars on the outer surface of the mandible. The well-defined MF location has been considered to be extremely important for dental procedures. Thus, this study primarily aims to identify the MF location among the Turkish population based on gender using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).
Methods: In this study, sagittal, axial, and coronal CBCT images of 200 patients (120 males, 80 females) were retrospectively scanned, and the MF locations of the teeth were separately evaluated for the right and left mandible.
Results: As per the examined images, it was determined that the prevalence of MF between the first and second premolar teeth (right mandible: 47%, left mandibular: 52.5%, female: 49.4%, male 50%) is higher compared to other locations.
Conclusion: This CBCT study enabled the identification of the MF location for the Turkish population. This data can contribute to dental procedure applications, such as mental nerve anesthesia, endodontics, and implantology.