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The clinical relevance of bifid and trifid mandibular canals
K Mizbah1, N Gerlach, T J Maal
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre 590, P.O. Box 9101, NL-6500, HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Background:
Bifid mandibular canals (BMC) and trifid mandibular canals (TMC) are variations on the normal anatomy with incidences ranging from 0.08% to 65.0%. Such aberrations have an important clinical impact. For example, an extra mandibular canal may explain inadequate anesthesia, especially when two mandibular foramina are involved. Furthermore, during mandibular surgery, a second, or even third, neurovascular bundle may be damaged causing paresthesia, neuroma development, or bleeding.
Case Report:
Two cases are presented in this article. One patient had a BMC on both sites, and the other patient had a TMC on one site and a BMC on the other site.
Discussion:
Initial screening for the presence of a BMC or TMC can be executed by conventional panoramic radiography. BMCs or TMCs are diagnosed, before executing mandibular surgery; additional CBCT scanning is indicated.
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