Menditti Dardo, Menditti Vittorio Salvatore, Amodio Martina, Cataldo Giovanna, Menditti Marco, Baldi Alfonso
Multidisciplinary Department of Medical Surgical and Odontostomatological Specialties, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania, "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
In Vivo. 2025 Sep-Oct;39(5):2883-2892. doi: 10.21873/invivo.14088.
BACKGROUND/AIM: The anatomy of the mandibular canal (MC) has been extensively described in the literature. Numerous studies have investigated its anatomical variations and anomalies. Different methods have been used to study the mandibular bone over the years and different classifications have been proposed.
A literature search was performed to identify articles regarding Mandibular Canal, Bifid and Trifid Mandibular Canal. This search used the PUBMED and WoS computer databases in the years from 1931 to 2023. Studies that did not fall within the scope of the search were excluded, such as those in which the abstract provided insufficient information for the preliminary evaluation. In addition, some articles not selected by the database search, including those on etiopathogenesis were manually entered. For all studies considered eligible, the full texts of the articles were searched and downloaded.
Based on the analysis of the literature, the variants of the MC should be classified as bifid MC, trifid MC, intramandibular accessory canals and dental canals. Extramandibular buccal and lingual canals require focused research, because they are very frequent, numerous, and they have nutrient functions.
This article highlights some important radiological and anatomic aspects regarding variations of the MC and their clinical implications in relation to their actual classification. Some classifications have only statistical and historical value without real utility for dentists and oral surgeons. The presence of duplications may cause perioperative complications if they are not correctly recognized. New studies should be conducted on the different variations of MC in its anterior, middle and posterior. A more useful classification is proposed.
背景/目的：下颌管（MC）的解剖结构在文献中已有广泛描述。众多研究对其解剖变异和异常情况进行了调查。多年来，人们使用了不同的方法来研究下颌骨，并提出了不同的分类方法。
进行文献检索，以确定关于下颌管、双叉和三叉下颌管的文章。该检索使用了1931年至2023年期间的PUBMED和WoS计算机数据库。排除不在检索范围内的研究，例如那些摘要提供的信息不足以进行初步评估的研究。此外，手动录入了一些未被数据库检索选中的文章，包括那些关于病因发病机制的文章。对于所有被认为符合条件的研究，搜索并下载了文章的全文。
基于文献分析，MC的变异应分类为双叉MC、三叉MC、下颌骨内副管和牙根管。下颌骨外颊侧和舌侧管需要重点研究，因为它们非常常见、数量众多且具有营养功能。
本文强调了一些关于MC变异的重要放射学和解剖学方面及其与实际分类相关的临床意义。一些分类仅具有统计和历史价值，对牙医和口腔外科医生没有实际用途。如果未正确识别重复情况，可能会导致围手术期并发症。应针对MC在前部、中部和后部的不同变异开展新的研究。提出了一种更有用的分类方法。
