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Ultrasonographic pilot study of mental foramen size, with and without postoperative neurosensory dysfunction
Anne Møystad1, Tore Bjørnland2, Bernard Friedland3
1Professor, Institute of Clinical Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Oslo, Norway.
Objectives:
To evaluate the ability of a portable ultrasound system to visualize the mental foramen in patients with unilateral neurosensory dysfunction after third molar removal.
Study Design:
In 20 patients, an ultrasound scanner (13 MHz linear-array transducer) was used to measure the mental foramen. The anteroposterior diameter was calculated on both sides, and differences between injured and contralateral sides were tested. Intrarater and interrater reliability were calculated using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC).
Results:
We found a relatively high reliability on interindividual observations (ICC ≥0.89) and intraindividual observations (ICC ≥0.76). The average diameter on the injured sides was significantly smaller than the control sides. Subjective sensibility was not significantly correlated to the dimension of the mental foramen.
Conclusion:
The results indicate a reduced size of the mental foramen, as determined by ultrasonography, in patients with permanent neurosensory dysfunction. These findings have to be verified in a larger number of patients.
