Knowledge of the position of the mental foramen and the number of accessory mental foramen in a heterogeneous South African population will prevent
mental nerve damage during surgery.
Caption: Figure 2: Topography of the sensory distribution of the (a) supraorbital nerve, (b) infraorbital nerve, (c)
mental nerve, (d) auriculotemporal nerve, and (e) deep branches of the trigeminal nerve; 1 = area supplied by the maxillary nerve and 2 = area supplied by the mandibular nerve.
Kirby, "
Mental nerve function after inferior alveolar nerve transposition for placement of dental implants," Journal (Canadian Dental Association), vol.
This was a new phenomenon, never before described in medicine, so I researched it and found that the
mental nerve, lying close to the medial aspect of the jaw became infarcted (deprived of blood) during her crisis.
The confirmation of anatomical location of the MF is critical to preclude potential injuries to
mental nerve during procedures such as periapical endodontic surgery (Moiseiwitsch, 1995), drainage procedures or reflection of a full-thickness mucoperiosteal flaps (Moiseiwitsch, 1998).
This complication can occur if mental foramen and anterior mental loop of
mental nerve are not properly identified and protected.
Bilateral
mental nerve block was performed with 10 ml of 2% Lignocaine hydrochloride using 18 gauge needle.
Its larger terminal branch emerges from the mental foramen as the
mental nerve and innervates the skin of the chin and the lower lip, while the smaller incisive branch supplies the canine and incisor teeth.
The branches derived from these structures provide nerve and vascular supply to the lower teeth and adjacent structures; a terminal branch leaves the canal through the mental foramen emerging as the
mental nerve (Claeys & Wackens, 2005).
The mass was surgically excised under
mental nerve block and cavity was packed with tincture benzoin soaked gauze.