Laher Abdullah E, Wells Mike
1 Department of Emergency Medicine, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.
2 Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2016 Oct;45(8):20160236. doi: 10.1259/dmfr.20160236. Epub 2016 Sep 15.
This ultrasound-based cross-sectional study aimed to visualize, locate and compare the position of the mental foramen with regard to its relationship to various soft tissue landmarks.
100 Black and Caucasian subjects were included. An ultrasound transducer was used to locate the mental foramina. Distances to various landmarks were measured and compared.
All mental foramina were visualized. The mean soft tissue distance of the entire group from the mental foramen on the right and left sides, respectively, were as follows: (a) 3.4 mm [standard deviation (SD) 1.7 mm] and 3.4 mm (SD 1.5 mm) lateral to a vertical line passing through the chelion; (b) 20.1 mm (SD 2.6 mm) and 20.1 mm (SD 2.6 mm) distal to a horizontal line bisecting the chelions; (c) 15.1 mm (SD 2.4 mm) and 15.0 mm (SD 2.4 mm) proximal to the inferior border of the mandible. We found no statistically significant differences between race groups, between gender group and between age categories with regard to the horizontal soft tissue distance from a vertical line passing through the chelion to the mental foramen on the right or left sides. There were statistically significant (but not clinically significant) differences between race groups and between gender groups but not between age groups with regard to the vertical soft tissue distance from a horizontal line bisecting the chelions to the mental foramen as well as from the inferior border of the mandible to the mental foramen on both the right and left sides.
This study suggests that ultrasound is a feasible imaging modality that can be utilized to locate the mental foramen. Differences in the position of the mental foramen with regard to various soft tissue landmarks are minor and clinically insignificant.
本项基于超声的横断面研究旨在可视化、定位并比较颏孔相对于各种软组织标志的位置关系。
纳入100名黑种人和白种人受试者。使用超声换能器定位颏孔。测量并比较其与各种标志的距离。
所有颏孔均能被可视化。整个研究组从右侧和左侧颏孔到各标志的平均软组织距离分别如下：(a) 在经过口角的垂直线外侧3.4毫米[标准差(SD) 1.7毫米]和3.4毫米(SD 1.5毫米)；(b) 在平分口角的水平线远端20.1毫米(SD 2.6毫米)和20.1毫米(SD 2.6毫米)；(c) 在下颌骨下缘近端15.1毫米(SD 2.4毫米)和15.0毫米(SD 2.4毫米)。我们发现，在种族组、性别组和年龄类别之间，从经过口角的垂直线到右侧或左侧颏孔的水平软组织距离并无统计学显著差异。在种族组和性别组之间，从平分口角的水平线到颏孔以及从下颌骨下缘到右侧和左侧颏孔的垂直软组织距离存在统计学显著差异（但无临床显著差异），而年龄组之间则无差异。
本研究表明，超声是一种可行的成像方式，可用于定位颏孔。颏孔相对于各种软组织标志的位置差异较小，且无临床意义。
