Mental foramen

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Bone: Mental foramen
Mandible. Outer surface. Side view. (Mental foramen visible at left.)
Latin	foramen mentale
Gray's	subject #44 172
Dorlands / Elsevier	f_12/12373306

The mental foramen is one of two holes ("foramina") located on the anterior surface of the mandible. It permits passage of the mental nerve and vessels. The mental foramen descends slightly in edentulous individuals^[1].

Variations

The most frequent position (63%) of the mental foramen is in line with the longitudinal axis of the 2nd premolar tooth. Multiple mental foramina are observed in 17% of the sides. Only (4%) of the mandibles show bilateral multiple mental foramina. The majority of the multiple foramina are unequal in size: a single large foramen while the others are small (satellite) foramina. An incisive mental foramen is observed in 1% of the sides[1].

Additional images

Side view of the skull.	Foramen mentale.PNG The skull from the front.	Distribution of the maxillary and mandibular nerves, and the submaxillary ganglion.	Mandibular division of the trifacial nerve.
The permanent teeth, viewed from the right.

References

External links

• Norman/Georgetown cranialnerves (V)
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34256.000-1
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 34256.000-2
• SUNY - lateral view
• SUNY - frontal view
• Diagram at uni-mainz.de

v • d • e Bones of head and neck: the facial bones of the skull
Maxilla	Surfaces Anterior: fossae (Incisive fossa, Canine fossa) - Infraorbital foramen - Anterior nasal spine Infratemporal: Alveolar canals - Maxillary tuberosity Orbital: Infraorbital groove - Infraorbital canal Nasal: Pterygopalatine canal Processes Zygomatic process Frontal process (Agger nasi, Anterior lacrimal crest) Alveolar process Palatine process (Incisive foramen, Incisive canals, Foramina of Scarpa, Incisive bone, Anterior nasal spine) Other Body of maxilla - Maxillary sinus
Zygomatic	Orbital process (Zygomatico-orbital) - Temporal process (Zygomaticotemporal) - Lateral process (Zygomaticofacial)
Palatine	Fossae Pterygopalatine fossa - Pterygoid fossa Plates Horizontal plate (Posterior nasal spine) - Perpendicular plate (Pterygopalatine canal, Sphenopalatine foramen, Pyramidal process) Processes Orbital - Sphenoidal
Mandible	Body external surface (Symphysis menti, Mental protuberance, Mental foramen) - internal surface (Mental spine, Mylohyoid line, Sublingual fovea, Submandibular fovea) - Alveolar part of mandible Ramus Mylohyoid groove (Mandibular canal, Lingula) - Mandibular foramen - Angle Coronoid process - Mandibular notch - Condyloid process
Minor/ nose	Nasal bone: Internasal suture - Nasal foramina Inferior nasal concha: Ethmoidal process - Maxillary process Vomer: Wing Lacrimal: Posterior lacrimal crest - Lacrimal groove - Lacrimal hamulus

v • d • e Foramina of the skull (and canals, fissures, meati, and hiati)
Anterior cranial fossa	to Orbit: ethmoidal foramina (anterior, posterior) to Nasal cavity: olfactory foramina (CN-I) - foramen cecum
Middle cranial fossa	to Orbit: optic canal (CN-II) - superior orbital fissure (CN-III,IV,V1,VI) to Pterygopalatine fossa: foramen rotundum (CN-V2) - pterygoid canal to Infratemporal fossa: foramen ovale (CN-V3) - foramen spinosum/carotid canal other: foramen lacerum - hiatus for greater petrosal nerve - hiatus for lesser petrosal nerve - sphenoidal emissary foramen
Posterior cranial fossa	internal auditory meatus/facial canal/stylomastoid foramen (CN-VII,VIII) - jugular foramen (CN-IX,X,XI) - foramen magnum (CN-XI) - hypoglossal canal (CN-XII) - condylar canal - mastoid foramen
Orbit	to Nasal cavity: nasolacrimal canal to Face: supraorbital (notch, foramen) - infraorbital (foramen, groove) - zygomatic foramen (-facial, -temporal) to Pterygopalatine fossa: inferior orbital fissure
Pterygopalatine fossa	to Nasal cavity: sphenopalatine foramen to Oral cavity: greater palatine canal/greater palatine foramen - lesser palatine canals/lesser palatine foramina to Infratemporal fossa: pterygomaxillary fissure to Nasopharynx: palatovaginal canal
Nasal cavity	to Oral cavity: incisive canals - incisive foramen
Other	external acoustic meatus - mandibular foramen - mental foramen - parietal foramen - petrotympanic fissure - semilunar hiatus

hu:Foramen mentale

Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content

Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .