Corpus: Mental foramen

The mental foramen is an opening in the bone of the lower jaw (mandible) that lies caudal to the first premolar.

The mandibular canal ends in the mental foramen. The mental nerve and the mental artery and vein emerge to the surface through the opening. The position of the mental foramen depends on the status of the alveolar ridge. If the alveolar ridge recedes (e.g. due to tooth loss), there is a relative "displacement" of the mental foramen towards the crest.

In the edentulous mandible, the foramen slowly moves to the upper edge of the mandibular bone due to the atrophy of the alveolar ridge. If a denture rests on the foramen, the pressure on the mental nerve can lead to pain. This can be remedied by grinding out the denture in the area of the pressure point, although this can reduce the stability of the denture fit. If the problem cannot be solved with a prosthesis, the alternative is to relocate the nerve with neurolysis.