MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL OF FAMILY MEDICINE • VOLUME 7, ISSUE 10 133 WORLD FAMILY MEDICINE/MIDDLE EAST JOURNAL OF FAMILY MEDICINE VOLUME 15 ISSUE 8, OCTOBER 2017 REVIEWS Mandibular canal and its incisive branch: A CBCT study Sina Haghanifar (1) Ehsan Moudi (2) Ali Bijani (3) Somayyehsadat Lavasani (4) Ahmadreza Lameh (5) (1) Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Department, Dental School, Babol University of Medical Science, Babol, Iran (2) Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Department, Dental School, Babol University of Medical Science, Babol, Iran (3) Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran (4) Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Department, Dental School, Babol University of Medical Science, Babol, Iran (5) Radiology Department, Medical School, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran Correspondence: Somayyehsadat Lavasani* Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Department, Dental School, Babol University of Medical Science, Babol, Iran Email : roya_lavasani@yahoo.com Abstract Objective: Prevention from damage to the mandibu- lar canal (MC) during invasive dental procedures is essential. The aim of this study was to determine the course of MC, anterior branch and its relation to mandibular teeth. Materials and Methods: In cross-sectional view, the MC diameter, the distance from root apex to MC, the distance of MC to mandibular lower border, the distance of MC from buccal and lingual cortical borders, from the distal root of third molar to frst premolar in apex roots area of all posterior teeth were identifed by using 207 CBCT images. The presence of the anterior loop, the position of mental foramen, position and diameter of incisive branch on the last visible point were also determined. Ex- amples were divided into the groups in terms of age, sex and side and were analyzed with descrip- tive statistics. Results: The nearest root to the MC was the dis- tal root of third molar in women less than 30 years (0.38±0.58 mm) and the most distant root was the second premolar tooth in men 30-50 years (6.06±2.20 mm). The most common site for men- tal foramen, was between premolars and the area between the frst premolar and canine teeth was the most common site for incisive canal on the last point of view. There was no signifcant differences between right and left mandibular measurements. Conclusion: The position of MC towards mandibular posterior teeth is more infuenced by age and sex. Also, the position of MC towards the bucco-lingual plate depends on the antero-posterior position of mental foramen. So any procedures in the mandib- ular posterior area should be performed with suf- fcient knowledge of the nervous canal. Key words: Anatomy, Mandibular canal, Mental foramen, Incisive canal, CBCT Please cite this article as: Haghanifar S. et al. Mandibular canal and its incisive branch: A CBCT study. World Family Medicine. 2017; 15(8):133-140. DOI: 10.5742/MEWFM.2017.93066