In human anatomy, the mandibular canal is a canal within the

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...

that contains the

inferior alveolar nerve The inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) (also the inferior dental nerve) is a branch of the mandibular nerve, which is itself the third branch of the trigeminal nerve. The inferior alveolar nerves supply sensation to the lower teeth. Structure The in ...

inferior alveolar artery The inferior alveolar artery (inferior dental artery) is an artery of the face. It is a branch of the first portion of the maxillary artery. Structure It descends with the inferior alveolar nerve to the mandibular foramen on the medial surface of ...

, and inferior alveolar vein. It runs obliquely downward and forward in the ramus, and then horizontally forward in the body, where it is placed under the alveoli and communicates with them by small openings. On arriving at the incisor teeth, it turns back to communicate with the

mental foramen The mental foramen is one of two foramina (openings) located on the anterior surface of the mandible. It is part of the mandibular canal. It transmits the terminal branches of the inferior alveolar nerve and the mental vessels. Structure The ...

, giving off a small canal known as the

mandibular incisive canal The mandibular incisive canal is a bony canal within the anterior mandible that runs bilaterally from the mental foramina usually to the region of the ipsilateral lateral incisor teeth. After branching into the mental nerve that exits the foramen ...

, which run to the cavities containing the

incisor teeth Incisors (from Latin ''incidere'', "to cut") are the front teeth present in most mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and on the mandible below. Humans have a total of eight (two on each side, top and bottom). Opossums have 18, wher ...

. It carries branches of the inferior alveolar nerve and artery. It is continuous with the

(which opens onto front of mandible) and

mandibular foramen The mandibular foramen is an opening on the internal surface of the ramus of the mandible. It allows for divisions of the mandibular nerve and blood vessels to pass through. Structure The mandibular foramen is an opening on the internal surfa ...

(on medial aspect of ramus).

Variations

The mandibular canal is fairly close to the apices of the second molar in 50% of the radiographs. In 40%, canal is away from the root apices, and in only 10% of the radiographs the root apices appeared to penetrate the canal. In root canal therapy of the second molar one should be cautious of over extending the reamer or the root canal filling materials because there is a possible risk of inferior alveolar nerve injury.https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/akramjfr/mandbCanal.html&date=2009-10-25+12:10:14

Additional Images

File:Slide2cec.JPG, Mandibular nerve and bone. Deep dissection. Anterior view. File:Slide7cece.JPG, Infratemporal fossa. Lingual and inferior alveolar nerve. Deep dissection. Anterolateral view

References

External links

* {{Authority control Foramina of the skull

Variations

Additional Images

See also

References

External links