Análises de tomografias da variação anatômica do nervo alveolar inferior

Abstract

The mandibular canal originates in the mandibular foramen and ends in the mental foramen. This canal sometimes varies, as well as its interior nerve, i.e., the inferior alveolar nerve. This variation is relevant in clinical and surgical approaches, and it can be detected by computed tomography, which is widely used in many surgery specialties. This is usually a single channel, however, bifid ones have already been reported. The aim of the current study was to identify the frequency of the bifid condition. Fifty computed tomographies were analyzed from patients aged between 18 and 50 years old, 25 men and 25 women, with complete or partial denture, with three different areas from the right and left hemimandibles studied (totaling 300 images): The entrance of the mandibular canal (CM), the mandibular angle (ANG), and the entrance of the mental foramen (FM). The obtained values were organized in a Microsoft Excel 2010 spreadsheet and the p-value was calculated with the chi-square test through the SPSS 21 software. Bifid mandibular canals were found in 14.66% of the patients, and the occurrence of the bifid canal was not significantly related to any of the sexes. While comparing the FME and FMD, there was a significant p-value of 0.004. In CMD and CME there was a bifurcation in 16% of the patients, in ANGD = 12% and in ANGE = 4%, in FMD = 18% and in FME = 14%. It is paramount for a dental surgeon to take into account the existence of a bifid mandibular canal, for its detection can avoid possible complications during treatment.