title: Finding the mental foramen.
abstract: The mental foramen and mental nerve are clinically important landmarks for clinicians across various disciplines including dentists, oral maxillofacial surgeons, emergency physicians and plastic and reconstructive surgeons. To minimize complications related to procedures in the vicinity of the mental foramen and nerve, knowledge of its anatomy and anatomical variations is cardinal to concerned clinicians. In this review, basic anatomy, procedural complications, hard and soft tissue relations, variations between population groups, asymmetry, accessory mental foramina and the use of various radiological modalities to determine the position of the mental foramen are reviewed to provide a more thorough understanding of this important landmark.
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand, 5 Jubilee Road, Parktown, 2193, South Africa. abdullahlaher@msn.com.
authors.forename: Abdullah Ebrahim
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Laher
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, South Africa.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand, 5 Jubilee Road, Parktown, 2193, South Africa.
authors.forename: Feroza
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Motara
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, South Africa.
authors.forename: Efraim
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand, 5 Jubilee Road, Parktown, 2193, South Africa.
authors.forename: Muhammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moolla
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand, 5 Jubilee Road, Parktown, 2193, South Africa.
authors.forename: Zeyn
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mahomed
mesh_terms: D063405:Anatomic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008334:Mandible / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000294:innervation*; D011859:Radiography; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: CT scan; Landmark; MRI; Mental foramen; X-ray