Generally being considered as a safe area for surgical approaches, the region between the mental foramina presents important anatomical structures. The objective of this study was to measure the dimensions of the genial plexus and its three-dimensional location in CBCT images, correlating the characteristics of this structure with dental presence, sex and age of patients. A total of 149 cone beam computer tomography (CBCT) scans of dentate (n = 74) and edentulous patients (n = 75) were selected, 59 male and 90 female, aged 18 - 86 years. Measurements of width and length of the genial canal were performed, and the shortest distances of the genial plexus were determined in relation to the alveolar bone crest, the buccal cortical bone and the base of the mandible. The results indicated significant differences between the dentate and edentulous groups for the mandibular canal length (p = 0.030), distance from alveolar crest (p < 0.001), and distance from buccal cortical bone (p < 0.001), with significantly higher values in dentate patients. As for gender, the distances between the genial plexus and the alveolar bone crest (p < 0.001) and the buccal cortical bone (p = 0.028) were significantly shorter for females. Regarding age, only the distance between the genial plexus and the alveolar crest showed a significant difference (p < 0.001), and the smallest values were measured in the older patients. It can be concluded that there are variations of the genial plexus in relation to gender, age and between edentulous and dentate patients. Therefore, the anterior region of the mandible, especially the midline should be observed with caution when undergoing surgical procedures, such as removal of bone grafts and installation of dental implants.
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