title: Location of the infraorbital and mental foramen with reference to the soft-tissue landmarks.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of the present study was to determine the locations of the infraorbital foramen and mental foramen based on soft-tissue landmarks to facilitate prediction of the locations of these structures during facial surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty embalmed cadavers (100 sides) of Koreans were dissected to expose the infraorbital foramen and mental foramen. The distances between the bilateral infraorbital foramina and between the mental foramina and the distances between the alae of the nose and between the corners of the mouth (cheilions) were measured directly on the cadavers, and the vertical and horizontal distances between the infraorbital foramen and mental foramen and the ala of the nose and cheilions, respectively, were measured indirectly on photographs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The distance between the bilateral infraorbital foramina (54.9 +/- 3.4 mm) was greater than that between the bilateral mental foramina (47.2 +/- 5.5 mm). The infraorbital foramen was located 1.6 +/- 2.7 mm lateral and 14.1 +/- 2.8 mm superior to the ala of the nose. The distance between the ala of the nose and the infraorbital foramen was 15.9 +/- 2.8 mm, and the horizontal angle between these structures was 64.1 +/- 9.9 degrees laterosuperiorly. The mental foramen was located 20.4 +/- 3.9 mm inferior and 3.3 +/- 2.9 mm medial to the cheilions. The distance between the cheilions and mental foramen was 20.9 +/- 3.8 mm, and the vertical angle between these structures was 9.2 +/- 8.1 degrees inferomedially.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides data that will be useful in predicting the locations of the infraorbital foramen and mental foramen when used together with hard-tissue landmarks. These data may be particularly helpful for facial surgery in patients with missing teeth.
authors: Chungju and Seoul, Korea From the Departments of Anatomy and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, College of Medicine, Konkuk University; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University; Department of Anatomy, Catholic Institution for Applied Anatomy, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea; and Division of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, Oral Science Research Center, Human Identification Research Center, Yonsei University.
authors: Wu-Chul
authors: WC
authors: Song
authors: Sun-Heum
authors: SH
authors: Kim
authors: Doo-Jin
authors: DJ
authors: Paik
authors: Seung-Ho
authors: SH
authors: Han
authors: Kyung-Seok
authors: KS
authors: Hu
authors: Hee-Jin
authors: HJ
authors: Kim
authors: Ki-Seok
authors: KS
authors: Koh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D002508:Cephalometry; D002680:Chin / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009915:Orbit / Q000033:anatomy & histology*