Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Introduction: The mandibular foramen is a prominent foramen and its knowledge is of paramount importance during dental procedures of lower jaw. Most common of the accessory foramina are the foramina present on the internal aspect of the bone. They are named as lingual foramina if the foramina are present in the midline, superior, or within the genial tubercle. The present study was undertaken to examine the incidence of the Mandibular Foramen and lingual (genial) foramen and their morphological variants by examining adult north Indian human mandibles from anthropology museum. Material and Methods: The present study was carried on 500 adult north Indian human mandibles from anthropology museum,. They were carefully examined and the incidence of the Mandibular Foramen and lingual (genial) foramen and their morphological variants was observed and noted after visual examination. Data obtained was studied and tabulated. Results: The position of mandibular foramen was more common below the midpoint, 451 cases (90.2%) while it was less common at the midpoint, 49 (9.8%) cases. In none of the mandibles examined, the position of the mandibular foramen was found above the midpoint. In the 500 mandibles examined, lingual foramen was present in 468(93.6%) cases, single foramen in 190 (38%), and multiple in 278 (55.6%). Multiple lingual foramens were more common (55.6%) than single foramen. Conclusion: The most common position of the mandibular foramen is below the midpoint of the height of ramus, from angle of mandible to the tip of condyloid process, in 90.2% of the cases. Multiple lingual foramina were more commonly found (55.6%) than a single lingual foramen (38.0%. Thus, it is concluded that morphological variants are extremely important to estimate the clinical, racial and anthropological significance of a particular population and should be kept in mind while doing a population study. Keywords: Accessory foramen; Lingul foramen; Mandible; North India.