Mental Nerve Risk — ORE Part 1 MCQ

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EasyOral SurgeryMental Nerve RiskORE Part 1

A patient requires extraction of the lower right second premolar. A periapical radiograph shows the mental foramen close to the root apex. Which nerve is most at risk?

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Correct answer: A — Mental nerve

The mental nerve is at risk because it emerges from the mandible through the mental foramen, commonly in the mandibular premolar region and often close to the lower second-premolar apex. Extraction, flap elevation or local bone removal in this area may therefore injure the nerve, causing altered sensation of the lower lip and chin. The lingual nerve lies lingually in the posterior mandible and is principally at risk around mandibular third-molar surgery. The buccal nerve supplies buccal soft tissues in the molar region, while the mylohyoid nerve is a motor branch that separates before the inferior alveolar nerve enters the mandibular canal. The infraorbital nerve is a maxillary nerve and is unrelated to mandibular premolar extraction.

Reference: Greenstein G, Tarnow D. The mental foramen and nerve: clinical and anatomical factors related to dental implant placement: a literature review. Journal of Periodontology, 2006. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17209776/