Morphological and morphometric study of mandibular Lingula in a dry mandible.

Introduction; Lingula is a small tongue shaped, sharp bony projection located on the medial aspect of mandibular ramus close to the posterior margin of the mandibular foramen. The lingula becomes an important landmark for identifying the site for injection of local anaesthetics and to correct dento facial deformities.

Methodology; This study was conducted on 140 dry adult human mandibles collected from the Department of Anatomy, JSS Medical College Mysore and Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysore to determine the different shapes of lingula through direct observation. The position of the lingula was determined by measuring distance between the lingula and the anterior border of the ramus of the mandible and also distance between the lingula and the posterior border of the ramus.

 Results; The most common type of lingula with respect to shape was triangular (64.3 %) and least type was assimilated on both sides. Mean distance distance between the lingula and the anterior border of the ramus of the mandible right side – 16.38 mm, left side 16.72 mm. Mean distance between the lingula and the posterior border of the ramus right side – 15.41mm, left side – 15.53 mm.

Conclusion; Comprehensive knowledge regarding its shapes and location is essential to understand Inferior Alveolar Nerve (IAN) block and ramus surgery like in Sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO). The nerve blocks are effective and successful by precisely identifying the positions of lingula along with mandibular foramen.