Occurrence of retromolar canal among a sample of Yemeni adults obtained from cone-beam computed tomography

Abstract

Retromolar canal (RMC) and Retromolar foramen (RMF) are anatomic variants in the retromolar area of the mandible. The anatomy of human mandible and its variations are very important for planning various surgeries like extraction of third molar, placement of ‎dental implants and ‎mandibular reconstruction. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of RMC among a Sample of Yemeni adults obtained from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). A retrospective cross sectional study was conducted in Sana’a city among a sample of Yemeni adult obtained from a CBCT images. CBCT images of 163 subjects (222 sides) were evaluated retrospectively. The subjects were 79 males (49.4%) and 84 females (51.6%). Of 163 subjects and 222 sides, a significant 53 (32.51%) subjects and 70 (31.53%) sides were found to have RMC (p < 0.05). Among these subjects, 17 (32%) had RMC bilaterally and 36 (68%) were unilaterally. The most common type was A1 (42.9%), followed by type B1 (32.9%). The mean vertical height of the RMC was 9.38 ± 2.30 mm and the mean width was 1.85 ± 0.38 mm. The mean distances of RMC to the second and third molars were (15.2 ± 2.53 mm and 5.60 ± 2.25 mm, respectively). All the mean values of the linear measurements were slightly higher in males than that of females. RMC occurrence in males was (35.4%) slightly higher than that of females (29.8%). There was no statistically significant difference between the right and left sides in the occurrence of RMC (31.9% and 31.1%, respectively) (P = 0.890). In conclusion, the RMC is present in a considerable proportion of Yemeni population 32.5%, which highlights the need to raise awareness among dental practitioners and maxillofacial surgeons.

Keywords: Retromolar canal, Yemeni adults, cone-beam computed tomography.

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