Purpose: The purpose of the study was to review the literature on the shape of the mandibular lingula.
Methods: English articles published from 1970 to 2021 in databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase) were selected. Articles meeting the search strategy were evaluated based on the eligibility criteria (participants aged 18 years and over). Dry mandibles and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were used as research materials. The shapes of mandibular lingula were classified as triangular, truncated, nodular, and assimilated.
Results: Based on the eligibility criteria, 10 articles (six with dry mandibles and four with CBCT images) were selected for full-text reading and detailed examination. In the dry mandible group, triangular, truncated, nodular, and assimilated lingula were observed on 446, 398, 232, and 69 sides, respectively. In the CBCT group, nodular, truncated, triangular, and assimilated lingula were observed on 892, 517, 267, and 88 sides, respectively. Therefore, the most common lingula types in the dry mandible and CBCT groups were different. The assimilated type was the least common in both groups.
Conclusion: In the dry mandible group, the most common lingula type was triangular, followed by truncated, nodular, and assimilated types. In the CBCT group, the most common lingula type was nodular, followed by truncated, triangular, and assimilated types. There were no significant differences in lingula types between the left and right sides of the mandible.
Keywords: lingula shape; mandibular foramen; mandibular lingual; ramus.