Assessment of relative position of infraorbital foramen in dry adult skulls and its clinical implication

©Copyright 2021 by the University of Health Sciences Turkey, Gülhane Faculty of Medicine / Gülhane Medical Journal published by Galenos Publishing House. Introduction Infraorbital foramen (IOF) is an opening located on the anterior surface of maxilla, about 1 cm below the infraorbital margin. It transmits infraorbital nerve and infraorbital vessels. The infraorbital nerve is a continuation of maxillary nerve which runs along the floor of orbit in the infraorbital groove and canal, and appears in the face through the IOF below the origin of levator labii superioris muscle (1). The infraorbital nerve is divided into three groups of branches-the palpebral, the nasal and the superior labial. The palpebral branches supply the skin in the lower eyelid. The nasal branches supply the skin of the side of the nose and of the movable part of the nasal septum. The superior labial branches supply the skin of the anterior part of the cheek and the upper lip (2). The infraorbital artery is a branch from the third part of maxillary artery and follows the same course as that of nerve. Even though the previous literature shows numerous studies on morphometry of IOF, the location of IOF is of great clinical importance as it is located nea r various important anatomical structures such as orbit, nose and oral cavity (3). Since it transmits the important neurovascular structures, the essential knowledge of topographical location of IOF is of utmost important to avoid the injuries to these structures. Infraorbital nerve block is the nerve of choice for surgeries involving orbital, nasal and buccal areas. This nerve can be entered through the intra oral or extra oral route. Hence accurate localizing of the IOF is of great clinical importance as once the location is determined, the needle can be advanced either through the skin 1MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital, Clinic of Anatomy, Bangalore, India 2DAPM RV Dental College, Clinic of Anatomy, Bangalore, India