http://www.scirp.org/journal/jbise J. Biomedical Science and Engineering, 2017, Vol. 10, (No. 10), pp: 456-465 https://doi.org/10.4236/jbise.2017.1010035 456 J. Biomedical Science and Engineering Evaluation of the Size and Location of the Genial Plexus, Related to Age, Sex and Dental Presence, in Implant Surgeries João Henrique Scotti Alérico 1 , Neuza Maria Souza Picorelli Assis 2 , Carlos Eduardo Francischone 3 , Karina Lopes Devito 4 , Francisco Antoninho Alérico 4 , Bruno Salles Sotto-Maior 4 1 Department of Implantology, Sao Leopoldo Mandic Dental Research Center, São Leopoldo, Brazil; 2 Department of Dental Clinic, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil; 3 Department of Diagnosis, Paranaense University, Francisco Beltrão, Brazil; 4 Department of Restorative Dentistry, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil Correspondence to: João Henrique Scotti Alérico, ; Neuza Maria Souza Picorelli Assis, ; Carlos Eduardo Francischone, ; Karina Lopes Devito, ; Francisco Antoninho Alérico, ; Bruno Salles Sotto-Maior, Keywords: Genial Canal, Cone-Beam Computed Tomography, Dental Implants, Measurement, Paresthesia Received: October 12, 2017 Accepted: October 22, 201 Published: October 25, 201 Copyright © 2017 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ABSTRACT Generally being considered as a safe area for surgical approaches, the region between the mental foramina presents important anatomical structures. The objective of this study was to measure the dimensions of the genial plexus and its three-dimensional location in CBCT images, correlating the characteristics of this structure with dental presence, sex and age of patients. A total of 149 cone beam computer tomography (CBCT) scans of dentate (n = 74) and edentulous patients (n = 75) were selected, 59 male and 90 female, aged 18 - 86 years. Measurements of width and length of the genial canal were performed, and the shortest distances of the genial plexus were determined in relation to the alveolar bone crest, the buccal cortical bone and the base of the mandible. The results indicated significant differ- ences between the dentate and edentulous groups for the mandibular canal length (p = 0.030), distance from alveolar crest (p < 0.001), and distance from buccal cortical bone (p < 0.001), with significantly higher values in dentate patients. As for gender, the distances be- tween the genial plexus and the alveolar bone crest (p < 0.001) and the buccal cortical bone (p = 0.028) were significantly shorter for females. Regarding age, only the distance between the genial plexus and the alveolar crest showed a significant difference (p < 0.001), and the smallest values were measured in the older patients. It can be concluded that there are vari- Open Access