title: Direction of the mental canal in human mandibles.
abstract: The direction of the mental canal was calculated in the horizontal and vertical planes with a view to aiding anaesthetic techniques. Based on our data, it is advisable to give the following approximate inclinations to the needle when penetrating the mental canal in anaesthetic procedures: 55 degrees postero-anteriorly in relation to a horizontal plane and 40 degrees latero-medially in relation to a horizontal line tangent to the body of the mandible at the level of the mental foramen.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000766:Anesthesia, Dental; D000886:Anthropometry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000294:innervation