DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2019.v07i02.001

Pages: 34-39

Background: A comprehensive study of the human skeletal features and variations between and within populations are beneficial both for clinical applications and determination of racial characteristics of populations. This statement implies that a comprehensive study on the u-shaped bone, mandible of Nigerians is of clinical importance and allows for studies on racial differences between Nigerians and others, and equally within Nigerians. Materials and Methods: The study comprised twenty-seven human male cadavers obtained from the anatomy laboratories of two different universities in Nigeria. Measurements from panoramic and periapical radiographs of the mandibular foramen, mandibular canal and mental foramen. Results and Discussions: The position of the foramen was variable in different individuals, but the mental foramen was predominantly located below the lower second premolar tooth, and the mandibular foramen and was located on the posterior surface of the ramus of mandible. Conclusions: The percentage distribution of the mental foramen in relation to the lower second premolar tooth was not at variance with those of other races or population groups. The mandibular foramen was present on the inner surface of the ramus of the mandible. This research work is of clinical and anatomical significance to medical practitioners for a successful inferior alveolar and mental nerve block anesthesia and the prevention of damage to the mental nerve during surgical procedures in the lower jar.