{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T06:07:18Z","timestamp":1784700438946,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784678400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Dent. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The mental foramen is a key anatomical landmark that transmits the mental nerve and vessels. Its position varies across individuals and skeletal patterns, making accurate localization essential during surgical procedures such as local anesthesia, implant placement, and dental extractions. The objective of this study was to assess the horizontal position of the mental foramen, the distance from the mental foramen to the adjacent tooth apex and the distance from the superior border of the mental foramen to the inferior border of the mandible in individuals with prognathic, retrognathic, and orthognathic mandibles using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Material and methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      CBCT-derived lateral cephalograms of 39 subjects were used to identify cephalometric landmarks and classify subjects into three skeletal groups. Mental foramen position was assessed using standard references, with group differences analyzed by Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test and one-way ANOVA (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.05).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The position of the mental foramen was classified from P1-P5 based on their relationship to the mandibular teeth: P1, anterior to first premolar; P2, in line with the first premolar; P3, between first and second premolar; P4, in line with the second premolar; P5, between second premolar and first molar. The predominant position in the retrognathic mandible was P5\u201346.2% (right) and 38.5% (left). In the prognathic mandible, P4 was the most common position\u201453.8% (right), while P3 (46.2%) predominated in the left. In orthognathic mandibles, P3 (69.2%) was the most common position on both sides. Significant differences were observed in the position of the mental foramen between the groups only on the right side. Significant sex differences were seen when the distance from the superior border of the mental foramen to the inferior border of the mandible was compared.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Significant differences in the horizontal position of the mental foramen among skeletal patterns was observed on the right side. The distance between mental foramen and adjacent root apex demonstrated a significant right-left difference in the retrognathic group. CBCT may aid in the preoperative localization of the mental foramen for mandibular surgical planning.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fdmed.2026.1839094","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T05:56:11Z","timestamp":1784699771000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Anatomical variations of the mental foramen in prognathic, retrognathic and orthognathic mandibles: a cone-beam computed tomography based analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Supriya","family":"Bhat","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences (ABSMIDS), Nitte (Deemed to be University)","place":["Mangalore, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ravi","family":"Marakini Subrahmanya","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences (ABSMIDS), Nitte (Deemed to be University)","place":["Mangalore, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vidya","family":"Ajila","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences (ABSMIDS), Nitte (Deemed to be University)","place":["Mangalore, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M. N.","family":"Kuttappa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences (ABSMIDS), Nitte (Deemed to be University)","place":["Mangalore, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e1004","DOI":"10.4317\/jced.61861","article-title":"Anatomical characteristics of mental foramen and canal: a cone-beam computed tomography analysis","volume":"16","author":"Mallahi","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Clin Exp Dent"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"85","DOI":"10.4103\/srmjrds.srmjrds_5_17","article-title":"Anatomical variant of the mental nerve and its foramen","volume":"8","author":"Ravi","year":"2017","journal-title":"SRM J Res Dent Sci"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"469","DOI":"10.7860\/jcdr\/2016\/18808.7992","article-title":"Finding the mental foramen","volume":"38","author":"Laher","year":"2016","journal-title":"Surg RadiolAnat"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S1923","DOI":"10.4103\/jpbs.jpbs_19_24","article-title":"CBCT: a comprehensive overview of its applications and clinical significance in dentistry","volume":"16","author":"Baccher","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Pharm Bioallied Sci"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3486","DOI":"10.5958\/0974-360X.2018.00644.3","article-title":"Assessment of location and dimensions of mental foramen \u2013 A CBCT study","volume":"11","author":"Jajashree","year":"2018","journal-title":"Res J Pharm Technol"},{"key":"B6","first-page":"269","article-title":"Cephalometrics for orthognathic surgery","volume-title":"J Oral Surg","author":"Burstone","year":"1978"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"259","DOI":"10.5455\/aim.2017.25.259-262","article-title":"Assessment of the mental foramen location in a sample of fully dentate Lebanese adults using cone-beam computed tomography technology","volume":"25","author":"Aoun","year":"2017","journal-title":"Acta Inform Med"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"315","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sdentj.2022.04.001","article-title":"Assessment of the position and level of mental nerve for placement of implants using cone-beam computed tomography and panoramic radiograph in the Saudi population","volume":"34","author":"AlQahtani","year":"2022","journal-title":"Saudi Dent J"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"741","DOI":"10.1016\/j.prosdent.2021.07.004","article-title":"Do the location and dimensions of the mental foramen differ among individuals of different facial types and skeletal classes? A CBCT study","volume":"129","author":"Fontenele","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Prosthet Dent"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1963","DOI":"10.47391\/jpma.3358","article-title":"Cone beam computed tomography based evaluation of position of mental foramen and its relation to apices of mandibular posterior teeth in a sample of Pakistani population","volume":"72","author":"Motiwala","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Pak Med Assoc"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.4103\/ijdr.ijdr_557_18","article-title":"Sexual dimorphism of mental foramen position in Peruvian subjects: a cone-beam-computed tomography study","volume":"31","author":"Rodr\u00edguez C\u00e1rdenas","year":"2020","journal-title":"Indian J Dent Res"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e68535","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.68535","article-title":"Assessing the prevalence and length of the anterior loop of inferior alveolar nerve and the position and dimension of mental foramen using cone beam computed tomography","volume":"16","author":"Srivastava","year":"2024","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1829","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joen.2021.08.006","article-title":"Mental foramen and anterior loop anatomic characteristics: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional imaging studies","volume":"47","author":"Barbosa","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Endod"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8897275","DOI":"10.1155\/2021\/8897275","article-title":"Evaluation of mental foramen with cone beam computed tomography: a systematic review of literature","author":"Pel\u00e9","year":"2021","journal-title":"Radio Res Pract"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.21315\/aos2025.2002.RV01","article-title":"Mental foramen: a comprehensive review of the distal exit of the mandibular canal","volume":"20","author":"Ngeow","year":"2025","journal-title":"Arch Orofac Sci"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sdentj.2017.01.001","article-title":"Determination of the position of mental foramen and frequency of anterior loop in Saudi population: a retrospective CBCT study","volume":"29","author":"Al-Mahalawy","year":"2017","journal-title":"Saudi Dent J"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"298","DOI":"10.15537\/smj.2019.3.23597","article-title":"Analysis of mandibular premolar root position in relation to adjacent cortical plates and mental foramen using cone beam computed tomography in the Saudi population","volume":"40","author":"Aldosimani","year":"2019","journal-title":"Saudi Med J"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"52","DOI":"10.4103\/0975-1475.114556","article-title":"Determination of sex by radiographic analysis of mental foramen in north Indian population","volume":"5","author":"Chandra","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Forensic Dent Sci"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.7860\/ijars\/2021\/48636:2722","article-title":"Sex determination of dry human mandible using metrical parameters in mahakaushal region of madhya pradesh, India: a cross-sectional study","volume":"10","author":"Kanwar","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Anat Radiol Surg"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"172","DOI":"10.2174\/1874210602014010172","article-title":"Evaluation of sexual dimorphism with mandibular parameters by digital panoramic radiography","volume":"14","author":"Ostovar","year":"2020","journal-title":"Open Dent J"},{"key":"B21","first-page":"1869","article-title":"Sex determination of mandible: a morphological and morphometric analysis","volume":"3","author":"Sikka","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int Jour Contemp Med Res"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Dental Medicine"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fdmed.2026.1839094\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]],"date-time":"2026-07-22T05:56:12Z","timestamp":1784699772000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fdmed.2026.1839094\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]]},"references-count":21,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fdmed.2026.1839094"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fdmed.2026.1839094","relation":{},"ISSN":["2673-4915"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2673-4915","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,22]]},"article-number":"1839094"}}