Accessory mental foramina: anatomy and histology of neurovascularisation in four cases with apical surgery

AbstractThe anatomical, radiographic and histological features of accessory mental foramina were assessed in four patients undergoing apical surgery of mandibular premolars or molars. In three cases, the accessory foramina were detected preoperatively, and in one case, the accessory foramen was observed accidentally during surgery. Histologically, the excised soft tissue bundles exiting the accessory foramina contained nerve tissue with fascicles, which contained mainly myelinated nerve fibres, and accompanying small blood vessels and adipocytes. Only one patient reported numbness following surgery. According to the suggested classification of supplementary mandibular buccal foramina, one case was classified as presenting a double mental foramen, two cases as having an accessory mental foramen and one case as displaying a so‐called additional buccal foramen.