Shunji Yoshida

Classification of the lingual foramina and their bony canals in the median region of the mandible: cone beam computed tomography observations of dry Japanese mandibles

ObjectivesWe investigated the lingual foramina and their bony canals in the median region of the mandible using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).MethodsSixty-eight dry Japanese mandibles were studied. The mandibles were set parallel to the inferior mandibular plane, and CBCT images of the medial region were obtained. The lingual foramina in the medial region (MLFs) were classified as being on the midline superior to the mental spine (s-MLF), on the midline inferior to the mental spine (i-MLF), or beside the midline (a-MLF). The frequency, location, and angulation of each foramen and its canal were measured from the CBCT images.ResultsThe s-MLF, i-MLF, and a-MLF occurred with frequencies of 86.8%, 83.8%, and 42.6%, respectively. The respective distances from the inferior mandibular plane were 11.4, 4.4, and 5.7 mm, while the vertical angulation of the canals was 77.5°, 114°, and 114°. A significant relationship was observed between the foramen height and canal angulation. On dissecting six cadaver mandibles, the sublingual artery was identified in s-MLFs and i-MLFs, while anastomosis of the sublingual and submental arteries was found in the a-MLFs.ConclusionsMLFs were observed frequently, and we confirmed that arteries passed though their canals. Since s-MLFs were the most frequent, contained the artery, and were located superior to the other MLFs, clinicians should identify such foramina from preoperative images.

Distributions of calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P in the human maxillary sinus of Japanese cadavers ☆

BACKGROUND Substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are released by the nociceptive sensory nerve and are involved in blood flow, pain and inflammation in the nasal mucosa. The purpose of this study was to assess the distribution of the SP and CGRP nerve fibres related to blood supply within human Schneiderian membrane of the maxillary sinus (MS). MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, the MS from Japanese cadavers was examined by whole-mount immunohistochemistry. Human male cadavers (ranging in age from 80 to 90 years) were used in this study. RESULTS SP- and CGRP-positive fibres were found around large vessels of the medialis superior alveolar branches and also within the floor region of the MS. The floor region of the MS was composed of complex branches of these fibres. CONCLUSION Our results give useful information for surgical sinus floor elevation in this region of the MS. These anatomical features may assist in the execution of a successful surgical procedure.

Anthropological studies of human skeletal remains from Cook Islands, Polynesia —Prehistoric skulls from Pukapuka atoll—

Anthropological surveys of the Pukapuka Atoll, the Northern Cook Islands, discovered several intements dated around 1500 B.P, from which twenty-five interred human remains were retrieved. This study describes several features revealed from analyses on the skulls of 6 males.1)The craniometrical comparison of the skulls with the heads of modern Pukapukan males revealed a feature, that the prehistoric specimens were mesocranic, whereas the modern people showed brachycephalic.2)The craniometrical comparison with prehistoric specimens from other islands in Oceania populations demonstrated that the prehistoric Pukapukan exhibited typical features of prehistoric Polynesians, that they are larger than the specimen from other regions in sagittal frontal arc, sagittal chord, bimaxillary breadth and mandibular ramus breadth.3)The craniometrical comparisons with Japanese specimens in Jomon, Yayoi, Kamakura, Edo and modern periods revealed that prehistoric Pukapukan specimens were larger in sagittal frontal arc, sagittal frontal chord, bimaxillary breadth and mandibular ramus breadth than Japanese ones in any periods.4)The odservation of teeth in excavated Pukapukan skulls revealed that their percent of carious teeth reached 7.4% in average.5)The pricipal coordinate analysis of craniometrical features from thirteen groups including five islands in Polynesia, three islands in Micronesia, and Japanese groups from Jomon, Yayoi, Kamakura, Edo and Modern periods demonstrated that there were no homogeneity between prehistoric Polynesian and Japanese in the Jomon period.