Liang X, Jacobs R, Corpas L S, Semal P, Lambrichts I
Oral Imaging Centre, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
Forensic Sci Int. 2009 Sep 10;190(1-3):24-32. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.05.006. Epub 2009 Jun 13.
To compare the dimensions of mandibular anatomical landmarks of human mandibles of three different chronological periods and seven different geographic regions.
Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were acquired from human mandibles of three different chronological periods (Neolithic, Medieval and 19-20th Century). The 19-20th Century consisted of seven human mandibular samples from different geographic locations. Image analysis consisted of comparing anatomic variability and dimensions of the mandibular, lingual and incisive canals, mental foramen and their relationship to specific reference teeth as such to determine geographic region and historic period variabilities.
There were statistically significant differences between the 19-20th Century group and the Medieval and Neolithic groups. The 19-20th Century group differed significantly in mandibular canal diameter, tooth root length, length of the lateral lingual canal. In addition, the group also differed from the Medieval sample for the lateral lingual foramen diameter and the midline lingual canal length. Furthermore, the prevalence of anatomic variations was significantly different for the geographic samples tested, with double mental foramina significantly more present in the Congolese sample, and significantly more lateral lingual canals noted in Indonesian and Greenland Eskimo samples.
This study suggests that mandibular neurovascularisation may show some geographic as well as historic variation. Further studies on larger data samples are needed to verify this statement, as such that it can be potentially used in anthropology and forensic dentistry. More research is also needed to address whether the geographic and historic variations are linked, as well to investigate evolutionary trends in these structures.
比较三个不同年代时期以及七个不同地理区域的人类下颌骨下颌解剖标志的尺寸。
从三个不同年代时期（新石器时代、中世纪和19 - 20世纪）的人类下颌骨获取锥形束计算机断层扫描（CBCT）图像。19 - 20世纪组包括来自不同地理位置的七个下颌骨样本。图像分析包括比较下颌管、舌侧管和切牙管、颏孔的解剖变异和尺寸，以及它们与特定参考牙齿的关系，以此确定地理区域和历史时期的变异性。
19 - 20世纪组与中世纪组和新石器时代组之间存在统计学显著差异。19 - 20世纪组在下颌管直径、牙根长度、舌侧外侧管长度方面有显著差异。此外，该组在舌侧外侧孔直径和中线舌侧管长度方面也与中世纪样本不同。此外，所测试的地理样本的解剖变异患病率有显著差异，刚果样本中双颏孔明显更多，印度尼西亚和格陵兰爱斯基摩样本中舌侧外侧管明显更多。
本研究表明下颌神经血管分布可能存在一些地理和历史变异。需要对更大的数据样本进行进一步研究以验证这一说法，以便其有可能应用于人类学和法医牙科学。还需要更多研究来探讨地理和历史变异是否相关，以及研究这些结构的进化趋势。
