Prevalence of bifid mandibular canals in panoramic radiographs: a maxillofacial surgical scope.

PURPOSE: The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of bifid mandibular canals in patients treated at the Dental Clinic of the Federal University of Parana, Brazil. METHODS: The sample consisted of 3,024 panoramic radiographs from male (n = 1,155) and female (n = 1,869) patients (mean age 30 years). An experienced radiologist analyzed the panoramic radiographs according to the study of Langlais et al. (J Am Dental Assoc 110:923-926, 1985), which classifies bifid mandibular canals into four different types. RESULTS: Sixty patients (1.98 %) presented bifid mandibular canals. Specifically, 50 patients revealed bifid mandibular canals type I, while 10 patients revealed bifid mandibular canals type II. All the variations were unilateral. In addition, statistically significant results were not observed for gender distribution. CONCLUSION: The present findings indicate a low prevalence of morphologic alterations of the mandibular canal in the studied population. However, the present outcome highlights the clinical relevance of investigating the radiologic morphology of the mandibular canal prior to surgical interventions.