Position of the Mental Foramen in Panoramic Radiography and Its Relationship to Age in a Selected Iranian Population

Background: The position of the mental foramen is critical for surgery and local anesthesia. Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the position of the mental foramen and its relationship to age in a selected Iranian population. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Three hundred panoramic radiographs were assessed. Three variables were assessed for each radiograph: anterior-posterior position, superior-inferior position, and radiographic appearance. The position and appearance of the mental foramen were recorded according to gender and age. The results were analyzed using Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. Results: Considering the anterior-posterior position, the mental foramina were located in the following positions: between premolars (41.5%), at the apex of the second premolars (31.7%), in the posterior area of the second premolars (19.2%), in the anterior area of the first premolars (4.3%), and at the apex of the first premolars (3.3%).The superior-inferior position of the mental foramina were below, above, and at the level of the apices of the premolars in 78.8%, 2.5%, and 18.7% of cases, respectively. The appearance of the mental foramen was continuous in relation to the mandibular canal in 55.9% of cases, while it was separated, diffuse, and unidentified in 29.5%, 9.7%, and 5% of cases, respectively. Age was found to affect the position and appearance of mental foramen. Conclusions: The mental foramina were most commonly located between the first and second premolars and below the apex. A continuous appearance was the most common appearance for the mental foramen, which was similar in males and females.