Abstract
PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence, length, and patterns of the anterior loop of the inferior alveolar nerve by panoramic radiography and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY: A prospective study was conducted on 300 mental foramen regions by exposing them to panoramic radiography and CBCT scan. Two individual observers evaluated the images to assess the presence of an anterior loop, the mean length of the loop, and the most frequent pattern of the loop in our population. RESULT ANALYSIS: The prevalence of the anterior loop for male patients and female patients by panoramic radiography was 34% and 32% on the right side and 30% and 36% on left side, respectively. By CBCT, the corresponding values were 69% and 72% on the right and left side, respectively, for male patients, and 73% and 81% on the right and left side, for female patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results from our study strongly emphasize the need for CBCT imaging before planning for procedures in the mental foramen region because the prevalence, length, and pattern of loop significantly varies with respect to age, sex, and population.