Characteristics of anatomical landmarks in the maxillary palatal region: A cone beamed computed tomography study

Abstract

Samer Kasabah, Sridhar Reddy

Introduction: Many minor surgical procedures require injection of local anesthetic solution to avoid patient discomfort. Most of the time, multiple injections are required to anesthetize the anterior maxilla in the region of the premolars to incisors. Hence, the purpose of this study is to assess appearance, visibility, location, and course of the anatomical landmark of palatal canal for AMSA through limited cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Materials and Methods: 100 subjects were investigated on CBCT images for precise anatomy of the palatal canal bilaterally. The data collected for assessing the relative position of the canals included the following: a) position of the foramen, b) measurement from the tooth apex, c) diameter of the canal d), nature/shape of the canal e), and level of foramen from the tooth apex. Results: The presence of foramen was observed in 44% of the images, respectively. The foramen was predominant in premolar region (64.9%), distance of 13.77mm, and canal width of 1.20mm, either clear or bifid canal, and the level being at upper or at lower or at the apex of tooth. Conclusion: The palatal canal is an important landmark for the AMSA, an alternative technique to the infraorbital nerve block to avoid the facial soft tissue anesthesia. More studies are required to assess the exact anatomy, course, nature, and shape of the palatal canal and other nutrient canals in the region of anterior and middle superior nerves