Anatomical relationship between the sublingual fossa and the lateral lingual foramen

This study investigated the locational relationship between the sublingual fossa (SF) and the lateral lingual foramen (LLF) in order to gain useful knowledge so that perforation of the lingual cortical bone and damage to the adjacent blood vessels can be avoided when placing an endosseous implant (implant) in the mandibular interforaminal region. The deepest point of the SF (SFP) and the LLF were identified in 38 Japanese cadaver mandibles (20 edentulous and 18 dentate) by computed tomography (CT) and physical measurement. Their locations were measured. In the edentulous cases, the SFP was located approximately 15 mm vertically from the alveolar crest in the direction of the mandibular lower margin in the canine and premolar regions, and the LLF was located within a 5 mm radius from the SFP. Thus, significant attention to the locational relationship between the SFP and the LLF, as seen on preoperative CT, is required when placing an implant ≥3.75 mm in diameter and ≥15 mm in length in this region.