Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Morphological variation in dentate and edentulous human mandibles

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the study was to examine the different morphometric variations of the human mandibles, comparing between males and females in dentate and edentulous mandibles.

Methods

Eighty adult human dry mandibles were studied. Thirty-two variations were evaluated according to the presence and absence of teeth. Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was performed to evaluate the normal distribution of the morphometric variables. Levene test evaluated homoscedasticity. Student t tests and Mann–Whitney U tests, when indicated, were performed to compare each of the morphometric variables between dentate and edentulous mandibles. Statistical differences were considered when the P value was less than 0.05.

Results

Considerable numbers of measurements were statistically significantly different when comparing the influence of dental status on the anatomical measurements; the position and anatomical relations of the mental foramen and overall dimensions of the mandible are especially influenced. Only a few measurements were statistically significantly different in the comparison between males and females.

Conclusions

The results of this research showed that the presence or absence of the teeth can alter mandibular shape and that mandibular edentulism may be associated with specific shape changes in the mandible. The dental status has a higher influence on the mandibular anatomy than the difference in gender.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Agthong S, Huanmanop T, Chentanez V (2005) Anatomical variations of the supraorbital, infraorbital, and mental foramina related to gender and side. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 63:800–804

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Al-Khateeb T, Al-Hadi Hamasha A, Ababneh KT (2007) Position of the mental foramen in a northern regional Jordanian population. Surg Radiol Anat 29:231–237

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Apinhasmit W, Chompoopong S, Methathrathip D et al (2006) Supraorbital notch/foramen, infraorbital foramen and mental foramen in Thais: anthropometric measurements and surgical relevance. J Med Assoc Thai 89:675–682

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Apinhasmit W, Methathrathip D, Chompoopong S et al (2006) Mental foramen in Thais: an anatomical variation related to gender and side. Surg Radiol Anat 28:529–533

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Bhasin S, Woodhouse L, Casaburi R et al (2005) Older men are as responsive as young men to the anabolic effects of graded doses of testosterone on the skeletal muscle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 90:678–688

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Bogin B, Rios L (2003) Rapid morphological change in living humans: implications for modern human origins. Comp Biochem Physiol A Moll Integr Physiol 136:71–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Ceylan G, Yanikoglu N, Yílmaz AB et al (1998) Changes in the mandibular angle in the dentulous and edentulous states. J Prosthet Dent 80:680–684

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Chung MS, Kim HJ, Kang HS et al (1995) Locational relationship of the supraorbital notch or foramen and infraorbital and mental foramina in Koreans. Acta Anat 154:162–166

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Cutright B, Quillopa N, Schubert W (2003) An anthropometric analysis of the key foramina for maxillofacial surgery. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 61:354–357

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Daly RM, Saxon L, Turner CH et al (2004) The relationship between muscle size and bone geometry during growth and in response to exercise. Bone 34:281–287

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Doual JM, Ferri J, Laude M (1997) The influence of senescence on craniofacial and cervical morphology in humans. Surg Radiol Anat 19:175–183

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Dutra V, Devlin H, Susin C et al (2006) Mandibular morphological changes in low bone mass edentulous females: evaluation of panoramic radiographs. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 102:663–668

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Enlow DH, Bianco HJ, Eklund S (1976) The remodeling of the edentulous mandible. J Prosthet Dent 36:685–693

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Freitas V, Madeira MC, Toledo Filho JL et al (1979) Absence of the mental foramen in dry human mandibles. Acta Anat 104:353–355

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Gershenson A, Nathan H, Luchansky E (1986) Mental foramen and mental nerve: changes with age. Acta Anat 126:21–28

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Green RM, Darvell BW (1988) Tooth wear and the position of the mental foramen. Am J Phys Anthropol 77:69–75

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Güler AU, Sumer M, Sumer P et al (2005) The evaluation of vertical heights of maxillary and mandibular bones and the location of anatomic landmarks in panoramic radiographs of edentulous patients for implant dentistry. J Oral Rehabil 32:741–746

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Gupta T (2008) Localization of important facial foramina encountered in maxillo-facial surgery. Clin Anat 21:633–640

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Hillson S (1996) Dental anthropology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  20. Kaifu Y (1997) Changes in mandibular morphology from the Yomon to modern periods in eastern Japan. Am J Phys Anthropol 104:227–243

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Karaagaçlioglu L, Ozkan P (1994) Changes in mandibular ridge height in relation to aging and length of edentulism period. Int J Prosthodont 7:368–371

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Kieser J, Kuzmanovic D, Payne A et al (2002) Patterns of emergence of the human mental nerve. Arch Oral Biol 47:743–747

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Kingsmill VJ (1999) Post-extraction remodeling of the adult mandible. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med 10:384–404

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Kingsmill VJ, Boyde A (1998) Variation in the apparent density of human mandibular bone with age and dental status. J Anat 192:233–244

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Kjaer I (1989) Formation and early prenatal location of the human mental foramen. Scand J Dent Res 97:1–7

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Laude M (1993) In: Stricker M, Raphaël B (eds) Croissance crânio-faciale normale et pathologique. Morphos, Reims, p 78

  27. Loth SR, Henneberg M (1996) Mandibular ramus flexure: a new morphologic indicator of sexual dimorphism in the human skeleton. Am J Phys Anthrop 99:473–485

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Mbajiorgu EF, Mawera G, Asala SA et al (1998) Position of the mental foramen in adult black Zimbabwean mandibles: a clinical anatomical study. Cent Afr J Med 44:24–30

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Merrot O, Vacher C, Merrot S et al (2005) Changes in the edentate mandible in the elderly. Surg Radiol Anat 27:265–270

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Mraiwa N, Jacobs R, van Steenberghe D et al (2003) Clinical assessment and surgical implications of anatomic challenges in the anterior mandible. Clin Implant Dent Relat Res 5:219–225

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Ferembach D, Schwidetzky I, Stloukal M (1980) Recommendations for age and sex diagnoses of skeletons. J Hum Evol 9:517–549

    Google Scholar 

  32. Oguz O, Bozkir MG (2002) Evaluation of location of mandibular and mental foramina in dry, young, adult human male, dentulous mandibles. West Indian Med J 51:14–16

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Oliveira Junior EM, Araújo ALD, Da Silva CMF et al (2009) Morphological and morphometric study of the mental foramen on the M-CP-18 Jiachenjiang point. Int J Morphol 27:231–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Phillips JL, Weller N, Klild JC (1990) The mental foramen: Part I. Size, orientation, and positional relationship to the mandibular second premolar. J Endod 16:221–223

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Raustia AM, Pirttiniemi P, Salonen MAM et al (1998) Effect of edentulousness on mandibular size and condyle-fossa position. J Oral Rehabil 25:174–179

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Raustia AM, Salonen MA (1997) Gonial angles and condylar and ramus height of the mandible in complete denture wearers—a panoramic radiograph study. J Oral Rehabil 24:512–516

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Santini A, Land MA (1990) A comparison of the position of the mental foramen in Chinese and British mandibles. Acta Anat 137:208–212

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Schutkowski H (1990) Zur Geschlechtsdiagnose von Kinderskeletten. Morphognostische, metrische und diskriminanzanalytische Untersuchungen. PhD thesis, Göttingen

  39. Shankland WE 2nd (1994) The position of mental foramen in Asian Indians. J Oral Implantol 68:118–123

    Google Scholar 

  40. Soikkonen K, Ainamo A, Xie Q (1996) Height of the residual ridge and radiographic appearance of bony structure in the jaws of clinically edentulous elderly people. J Oral Rehabil 23:470–475

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Soikkonen K, Wolf J, Ainamo A et al (1995) Changes in the position of the mental foramen as a result of alveolar atrophy. J Oral Rehabil 22:831–833

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Song WC, Kim SH, Paik DJ et al (2007) Location of the infraorbital and mental foramen with reference to the soft-tissue landmarks. Plast Reconstr Surg 120:1343–1347

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Tebo HG, Telford IR (1950) An analysis of the variations in position of the mental foramen. Anat Rec 107:61–66

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Trinkaus E (1993) Variability in the position of the mandibular mental foramen and the identification of Neandertal apomorphies. Riv Antropol 71:259–274

    Google Scholar 

  45. Vanderschueren D, Vandenput L, Boonen S et al (2000) An aged rat model of partial androgen deficiency: prevention of both loss of bone and lean body mass by low-dose androgen replacement. Endocrinology 141:1642–1647

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Woelfel JB, Scheid RC (2002) Structures that form the foundation for tooth function. Dental anatomy: its relevance to dentistry, 6th edn. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, New York

    Google Scholar 

  47. Xie QF, Ainamo A (2004) Correlation of gonial angle size with cortical thickness, height of the mandibular residual body, and duration of edentulism. J Prosthet Dent 91:477–482

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

We like to thank Dr. H. O. Olasoji for providing us his article.

Ethical standards

The experiments comply with the current laws of Brazil.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Av. Raja Gabaglia, 1000/1209, Gutierrez, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30441-070, Brazil

    Bruno Ramos Chrcanovic

  2. Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil

    Mauro Henrique Nogueira Guimarães Abreu

  3. Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil

    Antônio Luís Neto Custódio

  4. Department of Morphology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Bruno Ramos Chrcanovic & Antônio Luís Neto Custódio

  5. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

    Bruno Ramos Chrcanovic & Antônio Luís Neto Custódio

Authors
  1. Bruno Ramos Chrcanovic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mauro Henrique Nogueira Guimarães Abreu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Antônio Luís Neto Custódio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bruno Ramos Chrcanovic.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chrcanovic, B.R., Abreu, M.H.N.G. & Custódio, A.L.N. Morphological variation in dentate and edentulous human mandibles. Surg Radiol Anat 33, 203–213 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-010-0731-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-010-0731-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation