CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY FOR EVALUATION OF MANDIBULAR LINGUAL CANAL IN AN EGYPTIAN SUBPOPULATION: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Surgical interventions in the anterior region of the human mandible are associated with many complications. Some anatomical structures like the lingual mandibular canals were discovered in cadaver studies. Such canals may be of great concern that requires cautiousness during mandibular rehabilitation surgeries. This retrospective study was designed to evaluate the presence, the location and the dimensions of the lingual mandibular canal (LMC) in an Egyptian subpopulation by the use of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Three hundred (300) CBCT scans of patients seeking dental treatment (implant, orthognathic surgery, root canal treatment, surgery for removal of impacted third molar, etc.) from the year 2015 to 2019 were included in the study. These scans were collected from two demographic areas in Arab Republic of Egypt, The scans that show pathological condition or edentulous space in the area of interest were excluded. Scans incorporated in the study were performed using i-CAT Next Generation machine, with the following scanning parameters; Tube voltage of 120 kvp, tube Current of 5 mA and 26.9 seconds scanning time. All the patients’ data were anonymous and only the gender and age were known, images were supplied as DICOM files and analyzed by means of On-Demand 3D Cybermed Inc (OnDemand3DApp 1.0.10.7510) software program and the lingual mandibular canals were classified according to their anatomical location in the mandible into median (MLC) and lateral (LLC) lingual canals. The following measurements were performed on the canals with a diameter of more than 1mm; the diameter of the opening of the canal, the diameter of