Some mandibular geometry of Eastern Nigerians

Objective: To determine mean values of the mandibular angle, mandibular length and mandibular ramus height in Nigerians of Eastern origin. Methods: A prospective study of 34 prepared mandibular bones of Eastern Nigerians was conducted. The measurements were done using the mandibulometer according to accepted definitions of the different perameters. Results: For the right mandible, the mean mandibular angle was found to be 120.41 °±6.29, mean mandibular length 9.27cm±0.650 and mean mandibular ramus height 5.58cm±0.555. For the left mandible, the correspponding mean values were 120.03°±5.800 for the mandibular angle, 8.83cm±0.830 for the mandibular length and 5.81cm±0.451 for the mandibular ramus height. The Angle/Height ratio for the right mandible was found to be 21.58 and 13.01 respectively, while the corresponding values for the left mandible were found to be 20.66 and 13.50 respectively. These differences were found not to be statistically significant (p Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Nigerians of Eastern origin apparently exhibit a short ramus and a narrow mandibular angle. The implication of this is in the ease of laryngoscopy and intubation for the Eastern Nigerian will need further investigation. Keywords: Mandible, Nigerians, Mandibular height, Mandibular angle, Mandibular length Orient Journal of Medicine Vol. 17 (1&2) 2005: 9-14