Intra-Oral Ultrasonography of Young Adult Mandibular Foramen: A Reliable Method

 The inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) block is the most commonly used mandibular injection method for local anesthesia in restorative and surgical procedures. Ultrasound images can provide more accurate information about the location of the inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle.

 This study aimed to evaluate the ultrasound images of patients to determine the location of the mandibular foramen (MF) relative to the adjacent landmarks.

 In this cross-sectional analytical study, 50 patients were subjected to intra-oral ultrasonography of the right and left sides of the mandible. An Alpinion ultrasound system (Seoul, South Korea) was used for detecting the MF, as well as its distance from different landmarks.

 In all patients, the MF was found using color Doppler ultrasonography. The probability of detecting MF in conventional ultrasonography was estimated at 36% and 18% for the right and left sides of the mandible without using the Doppler technique, respectively. The mean MF distance from the anterior border of the ramus was 14.6 ± 2.1 and 16.1 ± 2.1 mm on the right and left sides, respectively. Also, the vertical distance of MF from the occlusal plane was 7.5 ± 1.1 mm on the right side and 8.7 ± 1.2 mm on the left side of the mandible. In all studied patients, the MF was above the occlusal plane.

 The results of this study showed that ultrasonography is not only a suitable option for intra-oral imaging due to its non-ionizing beams, but is also appropriate for localization of the MF and its related landmarks.