Frequency of retromolar foramen and local anesthetic relevance. A literature review.

• Main Authors: Maysa Brandt, Gerald Loyola, Pamela Escobar, Pedro Aravena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad de Concepción. 2012-07-01
• Series: Journal of Oral Research
• Subjects: anatomy; mandible; retromolar foramen; local anesthesic; inferior alveolar ner ve.; inferior alveolar nerve
• Online Access: http://www.joralres.com/index.php/JOR/article/view/10/13
• ISSN: 0719-2460; 0719-2479

The retromolar foramen is a hole accessory jaw in the retromolar trigone zone. The knowledge of this variation is important for the presence of anatomical structures that enter via the foramen and can serve as via local anesthetic or be affected during surgical procedures. Objective: To determine the frequency of the retromolar foramen in dried humans mandibles and its association with local anesthesia reviewed in scientific literature. Methods: A descriptive study by systematic literature review. We analyzed articles related to the location of retromolar foramina in the MEDLINE and SciELO databases. Author name, sample number, gender, frequency and source side foramina were registred. We analyzed the clinic relevance about to presence of the retromolar foramen. Results: 55 articles, of which only 5(9%) were selected. Between 40 to 475 mandibles humans was analized which the presence of the retromolar foramen ranged between 7.8% and 25%. The authors define the use of the foramen for the application of anesthetic techniques and ancillary care in third molar surgery. Conclusion: Accessory foramina occurs in a low percentage. However, it could be an important element for local anesthesia or surgical treatment of the area.