A morphological study of retromolar foramen and retromolar canal of modern and medieval population

Retromolar foramen (RMF) is small external orifice of the retromolar canal (RMC), located in the retromolar region of the mandible. Knowledge about the location of the retromolar foramen and the route of the retromolar canal within the mandible is significant for clinical practice due to a high risk of injury during oral and caniomaxillofacial surgery. In this study, the authors analysed 100 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of the modern people's retromolar region and 26 scans of samples from the medieval population. Additionally, 74 retromolar regions of the medieval people were examined macroscopically. The statistical analysis showed a correlation between the frequency of RMC occurrence and bone thickness on the medial surface of the retromolar canal. Also it was proven that the results of the RMF identification based on macroscopic examination of the bone may be falsely negative or positive and it is caused by destruction caused by resting in soil. Thus, CBCT is the best tool for RMF and RMC identification.