DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2017.v05i12.051

Pages: 5057-5062

The greater palatine canal (GPC) is a vascular nerve tunnel which should be respected during any surgical act around this area. The aim of this study was to evaluate the position of the greater palatine foramen (GPF) in Tunisian patients using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT). In this cross-sectional assessment, 150 CBCT of Tunisian patients were used providing anatomical information for the GPF. Patients aged more than 17 years with second or third upper molars were included, while those with history of pathology or trauma in the maxillary region were excluded. The position of the GPF was evaluated referring to two axes: X (between the second and third upper molars) and Y (in the middle of the occlusal table of those teeth). ANOVA and Chi square tests were used for statistical analysis. The result was considered significant at p<0.05. The sample involved 56.7% females and 43.3% males (sex ratio=0.76). The GPF was: mesially and distally located to the X axis in 4.70% and 48%, respectively; mesially and distally tangent in 0.70% and 24%, respectively and, finally, centered in 22.70%. No significant differences were found between the GPF position and the age neither the gender (p>0.05). As for the form, The GPF had either a rounded or an oval shape in 48.6% and 51.4%, respectively. However, a significant variation between the GPF form and the gender was recorded (p=0.001) and a significant variation according to the gender was found in the distance between the inter-maxillary suture and the GPF (p<0.0001).The present study shows that the GPF was mostly related to the third upper molar and between the second and the third molars. Any surgery in these areas should be performed cautiously to prevent the damage to this vascular-nerve complex.