Acta clinica Croatica, Vol. 64. No. 4, 2025.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2025.64.04.10
Evaluation of the Submandibular Fossa Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography
Gunay Ozturk
orcid.org/0000-0001-6968-2212
; Ondokuz Mayis University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Samsun, Turkey
*
Ayşe Pınar Sumer
; Ondokuz Mayis University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Samsun, Turkey
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess submandibular fossa anatomy using cone
beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to determine its relationship with dental status, age, and
gender. A total of 230 patients (mean age 43.24±17.70 years; 96 males and 134 females) comprising 101
edentulous and 129 dentate patients were included. CBCT images were utilized to measure depth of
the submandibular fossa (SFdepth) and distance from its deepest point to the mental foramen (SFdistance).
Radiological characteristics of the submandibular fossa were compared with age, gender, and dental
status. Analysis of 460 half-jaw mandibles revealed 239 (52%) type I, 175 (38%) type II, and 46 (10%)
type III mandibles. The SFdepth of dentate patients (2.21±0.68 mm) was significantly greater compared to
edentulous patients (1.80±0.73 mm, p<0.001). In both dentate and edentulous patients, the mean SFdepth
of males (2.42±0.73 mm and 2.03±0.82 mm, respectively) was significantly greater than that of females
(2.07±0.61 mm and 1.62±0.59 mm, respectively, p<0.001). Among dentate patients, the deepest point
of the submandibular fossa was most commonly located at the level of the second molar (79.8%). Submandibular
fossa was shallower in edentulous patients compared to dentate patients. SFdepth was greater
in male patients than in female patients.
Keywords
Submandibular fossa; Cone beam computed tomography; Mandible; Anatomy
Hrčak ID:
344716
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2025.
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