incluye referencia bibliográfica (página 569)

Background: The morphometric characteristics of the mandibular canal (MC) may
vary according to the characteristics of the population studied. Correct location
of the MC is fundamental for the indication and planning of different dental
treatments, and it is therefore essential to have clinical parameters indicating
its approximate location. The aim of this study was to describe the location and
course of the MC by morphometric relations in the mandibular body, from the
mental foramen to distal of the first molar, in dentate adult patients.
Materials and methods: We analysed 55 cone-beam computed tomography
(CBCT) of male and female patients, aged over 18 years and with fully dentate
to the first molar. In each CBCT we selected five coronal sections (A–E) of the
mandibular body at different levels using the teeth as references. We determined
different morphometric measurements in each section to relate the MC with the
corticals of the mandibular body (m1, m2, m3, m4), their orientation to lingual
(F) and the thickness of the mandibular corticals (B1, B2 and B3).
Results: The distance between the MC and the alveolar crests was greater in
males than in females in all the sections. In general, in all the hemiarches, the
MC courses away from the vestibular cortical of the mandible (and in some cases
significantly towards the lingual cortical) from anterior to posterior in the mandibular body. In the left hemiarch of dentate females the MC describes a descent
in the molar zone within the mandibular body. Any intervention in the mandible
must be carried out with extreme caution to avoid damaging the vasculo-nervous
bundle which passes through the MC.
Conclusions: Cone-beam computed tomography is the best tool currently available for the planning and execution of surgical procedures, and is the only tool
in clinical use which allows the precise course of the MC to be identified.