passes between the processes of the ramus and into the mandible on its inner surface via the mandibular foramen, which is marked by a spur of bone called the lingula.

In the body of the mandible the mandibular canal is located in the spongy cancellous bone. The canal does not have a definite wall. In the area of the molars, it divides into several accessory canals, supplying the teeth and chin with nerves and vessels. The mental foramen (5), which can be seen on the outer surface of the buccal surface of the mandible, is the termination point of the mandibular nerve, which passes through the foramen and continues on as the mental or inferior dental nerve (6), which supplies the anterior teeth and soft tissues in the area.

In an adult with all his teeth, the mandibular canal is approximately midway between the inferior and superior borders of the mandibular body. However, its position changes with age/or loss of teeth, and changes directly reflect what happens to the alveolar process.

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