title: Uncommon trajectory variations of the mandibular canal and of the mandibular incisive canal: case report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This paper aims to report and discuss a case in which unusual anatomical variations were observed in the mandibular canal (MC) and the mandibular incisive canal (MIC) in a same patient.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 49-year-old healthy female was referred for mandibular dental implant placement. Panoramic radiography and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) were performed. Cross-sections, axial, coronal, panoramic reconstructions and volume rendering were obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The panoramic radiograph did not show any evidence of abnormality. CBCT showed a bifid MC on the right side. It extended to the buccal cortex, exteriorized for 6 mm and returned to its conventional trajectory to reach the mental foramen. On the left side, the MIC initially followed its normal trajectory for 4 mm but, in the canine region, it also extended to the buccal cortex and exteriorized.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The advent of CBCT in Dentistry allowed a greater accuracy in the diagnosis of anatomical variations in the jaws, preventing injury to the neurovascular bundle and enabling an adequate surgical planning in the region.
authors.affiliation: Dentistry Department, Maringá State University, Maringá, PR, Brazil, elen_tolentino@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Elen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Souza Tolentino
authors.forename: Pablo Andrés Amoroso
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Otávio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pagin
authors.forename: Bruna Stuchi
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Centurion
authors.forename: Soraya Kloster Ciconello Dal
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Molin
authors.forename: Lívia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Souza Tolentino
mesh_terms: D063405:Anatomic Variation; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008334:Mandible / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged