Spatial Correlation of the Buccal and Inferior Alveolar Nerves: Morphological Evidence From Cadaveric Dissections.

Authors

Burak Karip, Fatma Ok, Fulya Temizsoy Korkmaz

Published in

Journal of stomatology, oral and maxillofacial surgery. Pages 102987. Sep 09, 2026. Epub Sep 09, 2026.

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the spatial relationships between the buccal nerve (BN) and the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) with respect to superficial facial landmarks and to evaluate the clinical relevance of their topographic correlation. A clearer understanding of these relationships may help prevent iatrogenic injury during maxillofacial procedures and regional anesthesia.
The study was conducted on 15 adult cadavers (30 hemispheres). Each specimen was carefully dissected to expose the BN and IAN within the infratemporal fossa. The tragus (TRA), lateral canthus (LC), and angulus oris (AO) were defined as superficial reference points. Distances between each nerve and these landmarks were measured in both transverse (T) and vertical (V) planes. The BN was classified into four types based on its course: superficial, deep, intermuscular-superficial, and intermuscular-deep. Data were analyzed using R software (version 4.5.1), with independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficients applied. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Mean BN-TRA V, BN-TRA T, and BN-AO V distances were 13.58 ± 9.34 mm, 32.12 ± 18.21 mm, and 29.64 ± 18.43 mm, respectively. No significant differences were observed between genders or sides (p > 0.05). Moderate correlations (r = 0.42-0.52, p < 0.05) were observed between BN and IAN measurements, suggesting a potentially meaningful anatomical directional alignment.
The BN and IAN appear to follow generally parallel courses relative to facial landmarks. These morphometric data provide preliminary anatomical references that may help reduce the risk of nerve injury during mandibular and maxillofacial procedures.

PMID:
42716467
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.