931 Int. J. Morphol., 35(3):931-937, 2017. Prevalence and Morphometric Characteristics of the Mandibular Incisive Canal through Panoramic Radiographs in a Chilean Population Prevalencia y Características Morfométricas del Canal Incisivo Mandibular a través de Radiografías Panorámicas en Población Chilena Ramón Fuentes 1,2 ; Alain Arias 1,2,3 ; Cristina Bucchi 1,2 ; Diego Saravia 2,3,4 & Fernando Dias 1,2 FUENTES, R.; ARIAS, A.; BUCCHI, C.; SARAVIA, D. & DIAS, F. Prevalence and morphometric characteristics of the mandibular incisive canal through panoramic radiographs in a Chilean population. Int. J. Morphol., 35(3):931-937, 2017. SUMMARY: The mandibular incisive canal (MIC) is a continuation of the mandibular canal, anterior to the mental foramen, containing the neurovascular bundle of the teeth in anterior mandibular segment. The aim of this study was to calculate the prevalence and analyze the morphometric parameters of MIC in a Chilean population through digital panoramic radiographs. A cross-sectional study was performed using 500 digital panoramic radiographies of adult individuals. The prevalence of MIC was set in different sexes, age groups and proximity to teeth; in addition to the morphometric parameters of length, width (diameter) and distances of MIC to dental element and the mandibular base. General MIC prevalence was 53 % (265 cases), 49.9 % in women and 57 % in men. In the age groups, prevalence was higher in men, MIC was predominantly associated to first premolars (98.2 % - women; 90 % - men), however a relevant number (42.6 % women; 55.1 % - men) was close to the canines. The MIC length ranged from 2.6 to 18 mm (median - 5 to 8 mm), the width of 0.8 to 5.4 mm (median - 2 to 3 mm), the distance to other elements from 0.6 to 12 , 5 mm (medians - 5 to 7 mm) and the margin of the mandible from 4.1 to 16.7 mm (median - 8 to 10 mm). The length decreases in older age groups regardless of sex. Width and distance the mandibular base was larger in men compared to women. KEY WORDS: Mandibular Incisive Canal; Prevalence; Morphometry; Chilean population. INTRODUCTION The mandibular incisive canal (MIC) is an anterior extension of the mandibular canal from the mental foramen, which contains a neurovascular bundle (Mardinger et al., 2000; Romanos et al., 2012). The precise anatomy and content of the MIC are still a matter of discussion (Beltrán et al., 2011). Since its anatomical description has been inconsistent, some researchers report this structure as a discrete canal, others consider the canal as a nervous plexus, and some studies do not mention its existence at all (Vu et al., 2015). Despite these discrepancies, there are numerous reports that confirm the presence of MIC in the region located between both mental foramina, through anatomical dissection (Uchida et al., 2007; Vu et al.; Xu et al., 2015) and cone beam tomography imaging. (Jacobs et al., 2002; Kajan & Salari, 2012; Orhan et al., 2014). The anatomical characteristics of this and other structures could be associated with race (Xu et al.). The presence of MIC and its morphological characteristics should be considered in clinical procedures such as dental implant planning and placement, chin bone collection, orthognathic surgery and periapical surgery (Beltrán et al.). Placement of implants in the anterior mandibular region with perforation of the MIC can generate edema of the epineurium, which could expand into the main mental branch and cause neurosensitive disturbances (Marginger et al .) such as paresthesia and failure in osseointegration of dental implants (Orhan et al.). These 1 Department of Integral Dentistry, Dental School, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile. 2 Research Centre in Dental Sciences (CICO), Dental School, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile. 3 Master's Program in Dentistry, Dental School, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile. 4 Universidad Adventista de Chile, Chillán, Chile.