Evaluation of the course of the inferior alveolar canal in the mandibular ramus using cone beam computed tomography

Objectives: This study sought to provide guidelines in order to decrease the incidence of nerve injury during mandibular ramus bone harvesting, and to improve understanding of the anatomical structure of the inferior alveolar canal (IAC) to include its distance from the exterior buccal cortex. Materials and Methods: In January and February 2009, 20 patients who visited the Wonkwang University Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery reporting various conditions underwent cone beam computed tomography and were included in this study. Patients with missing left or right mandibular first molars or incisors, or who had jaw fracture or bone pathologies, were excluded. The reference point (R point) was defined as the point where the occlusal plane reached the anterior ramus of the mandible. The position of the IAC in relation to the R point, the buccal bone width (BW), the alveolar crest distance (ACD), the distance from the alveolar crest to the occlusal plane (COD), and the distance from the IAC to the sagittal plane (CS) were determined using proprietary image analysis software which produced cross-sectional coronal and axial images. Results: The distance medially from the R point to the IAC along the axial plane was 6.19 +/- 1.21 mm. The HD from the R point, posteriorly to IAC, in the lateral view was 13.07 +/- 2.45 mm, the VD from the R point was 14.24 +/- 2.41 mm, and the ND from the R point was 10.12 +/- 1.76 mm. The pathway of the IAC was positioned almost in a straight line along a sagittal plane within 0.56 +/- 0.70 mm. The distance from the buccal bone surface to the IAC increased anteriorly from the R point. Conclusion: Marking osteotomy lines in the retromolar area in procedures involving bone harvesting should be discouraged due to the risk of damage to IAC structures. Our measurements indicated that the area from the R point in the ramus of the mandible to 10 mm anterior can be safely harvested for bone grafting purposes.