Title: Topographic and morphometric study of the mental foramina of Abaza goats with its clinical implication for regional anaesthesia
Abstract: Background: In this study, the topographic and morphometric structure of the mental foramen of both female and male Abaza goats, a domestic goat breed found in Turkey, was examined. Materials and methods: The mandibles and body weights of 30 adult Abaza goats, both female and male, were used. The goats were obtained during the sale of the Abaza goat herd sacrificial and forbearance. The mandibles were separated from the head and the skin, muscles and ligaments were cleaned and the mandibles were left to dry by standard technique. Various measurements were carried out on the mandible in accordance with relevant studies in the literature. Results and Conlusions: The mental foramina of the goats were round and oval and the mental foramina on one mandible were not necessarily of the same shape. In addition, the number of mental foramina, which differed between goats, was observed to be two in most goats. The distance between the mental foramen and the ventral edge of the mandible was 0.88 ± 0.15 cm. The distance between the first premolar teeth and the mental foramen was found to be 1.59 ± 0.13 cm. The distance between the mental foramen and the lateral incisor was 1.85 ± 0.39 cm. The distance between the caudal edge of the ramus mandibulae and the mental foramen was calculated as 12.38 ± 1.52 cm.