Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Analysis of Inferior Alveolar Canal Location

Objective: This study was designed to determine the influences of age and sex on the relative position of the inferior alveolar canal as measured by Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT). Methods: Existing CBCT studies of the maxillofacial region from patients selected at random ranging in age from 18 to 80 years, 110 females and 55 males, and acquired by the CB MercuRay™ system, were used. Subjects were selected based on visibility and measurability of the region of interest and absence of pathologic conditions or developmental anomalies. OsirX™ software and its measurement tool were used to assess the location of the inferior alveolar canal at three points: the mandibular foramen in axial view, the inferior alveolar canal in coronal view, and the mental foramen in the coronal view. Measurements were also expressed for the mental foramen as the percentile position from the nearest superior bony crest to the inferior border (SMeF%); corresponding position of the mandibular foramen from the anterior to the posterior border of the mandibular ramus (AMaF%); and for the inferior alveolar canal at the level of first permanent molar from the nearest buccal bony surface to the lingual surface (LIAC%), and from the superior alveolar crest to the inferior border (SIAC%). Results: Regression analyses were performed on the variables with age as the predictor variable for each sex separately. The analysis did not show statistically significant relationships (p < 0.05) between age and the defined variables for either sex. The AMaF% for males and females and the SIAC% for females demonstrated near-statistically significant effects; however, the characterization resulted in a 1% or less change per age decade. Conclusion: Generally, the results demonstrated that the relative location of the canal and associated foramina remain fairly constant with regard to age and sex. Supported by the UT Alumni Endowment for Research.