An anatomical radiographic evaluation of the posterior portion of the mandible in relation to autologous bone harvest procedures.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the course of the mandibular canal and the thickness of the vestibular cortical plate in the posterior region of the mandible in relation to autologous bone harvest procedures. The study was performed on a cohort of 30 cone-beam computed tomography hemimandible images. For each hemimandible, the course of the mandibular canal and the thickness of the vestibular cortical plate have been evaluated in 4 regions: the retromolar region, the second molar region, the first molar region, and the second premolar region. The analyzed variables show a characteristic trend: the thickness of the cortical vestibular plate and the horizontal distance of the canal from the cortical vestibular plate are higher in the second molar region specifically in the area bordering on the retromolar region. In fact, the maximum thickness reaches the average value of 3.46 mm on 30 hemimandibles for slice (SD, 0.56 mm; range, 2.36–4.83 mm), and the horizontal distance reaches the average value of 6.06 mm on 30 hemimandibles for slice (SD, 1.34 mm; range, 3.65–9.27 mm); both variables decrease in more distal slices of the retromolar region. The vertical distance of the canal from the cortical crest shows the average value of 14.25 mm on 22 slices of the second molar and retromolar regions (SD of average values, 1.03 mm; range of average values, 12.92–16.25 mm; range of absolute values, 7.11–22.92 mm) exactly in regions potentially suitable for procedures of bone harvest (second molar and retromolar regions).