Abstract

The mental foramen (MF) is an oval or circular opening on the body of the mandible where the mandibular canal terminates. It is an exit for the mental nerve and blood vessels, which are terminal branches of inferior alveolar nerve, artery, and vein. The mental nerve provides innervations of the lower teeth, lip, gingival, and lower face. The MF is an important anatomical landmark during osteotomy procedures, anesthetic nerve blocks, and prevention of neurovascular complications after invasive procedures on the lower jaw. Its anatomy is also useful in evaluating the morphometric symmetry of the mental triangle, microscopic and macroscopic morphology, bone remodeling activity, and paleoanthropologic features of the facial skeleton in different populations