Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study is to determine the most common position of the mental foramen in a sample of the Lebanese population as it differs between various populations. Its bilateral symmetry and gender differences were also analyzed within each individual.
Materials and Methods: A total of 3021 digital panoramic radiographs were collected between 2019 and 2025 and evaluated by an experienced oral and maxillofacial radiologist. The position of the foramen was classified into six zones relative to the mandibular teeth in male and female subjects. The exclusion criteria included the inability to visualize the mental foramen on both sides, missing teeth between the two first mandibular molars, incomplete eruption of permanent teeth, severe crowding or spacing between the two first mandibular molars, radiolucent lesions between the first mandibular molars on either side, a history of orthodontic treatment, and an age below 18 years. The results were analyzed using Python 3.12.4 with the pandas and scipy.stats libraries in the Spyder IDE.
Results: The most frequent position of the mental foramen was between the apices of the first and second premolars (61.40%), followed by alignment with the longitudinal axis of the second premolar (30.20%). Bilateral symmetry was observed in 70.80% of cases (73.76% in males, 67.97% in females). No statistically significant differences were found between foramen position and gender (p=0.762), or between symmetry and gender (p=0.097). Age showed no influence on either position or symmetry.
Conclusion: Based on the studied sample of the Lebanese population, the most frequent location of the mental foramen is between the apices of the first and second premolars, with a high percentage of bilateral symmetry.

Key words: Mental foramen, Position, Panoramic radiography, Lebanese population