Question:medium
Which nerve passes through the marked foramen in the given image?
Which nerve passes through the marked foramen in the given image?
Show Hint
Medial surface of the ramus - the gateway to the lower teeth.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Lingual nerve
- Mandibular nerve
- Chorda tympani nerve
- Inferior alveolar nerve
Show Solution
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Pinpoint the landmark. The arrow marks a hole on the inner aspect of the mandibular ramus - the mandibular foramen, guarded anteriorly by the lingula.
Step 2: Recall its contents. This foramen begins the mandibular canal, and the neurovascular bundle entering it is the inferior alveolar nerve with its accompanying artery and vein.
Step 3: The nerve travels through the canal giving dental branches to the mandibular teeth before emerging at the mental foramen as the mental nerve. This is also the target of the inferior alveolar nerve block in dentistry.
Step 4: So the answer is the inferior alveolar nerve. The mandibular nerve is its parent trunk, while the lingual and chorda tympani lie outside the bone and never pass through this foramen.
\[\boxed{\text{Inferior alveolar nerve}}\]
Step 2: Recall its contents. This foramen begins the mandibular canal, and the neurovascular bundle entering it is the inferior alveolar nerve with its accompanying artery and vein.
Step 3: The nerve travels through the canal giving dental branches to the mandibular teeth before emerging at the mental foramen as the mental nerve. This is also the target of the inferior alveolar nerve block in dentistry.
Step 4: So the answer is the inferior alveolar nerve. The mandibular nerve is its parent trunk, while the lingual and chorda tympani lie outside the bone and never pass through this foramen.
\[\boxed{\text{Inferior alveolar nerve}}\]
Was this answer helpful?
0
