The lingula is a small tongue-shaped plate of bone on the inner surface of the mandibular ramus, guarding the front edge of the mandibular foramen. The sphenomandibular ligament attaches to it. The inferior alveolar nerve and vessels enter the mandibular canal just behind it.
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| Landmarks |
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| Ossification | Part of the mandible, which ossifies in membrane; the lingula moves upward and backward with growth of the ramus during childhood. |
The lingula is the target landmark for the inferior alveolar nerve block, the most common anaesthetic injection in dentistry, which aims to deposit local anaesthetic near the nerve as it enters the mandibular foramen. Its position varies with age and jaw shape, which explains some failed blocks. In sagittal split osteotomy for jaw correction, the horizontal bone cut on the inner ramus is placed just above the lingula to avoid the nerve.
Inadequate numbness after a dental injection, often because the needle tip was placed too low or too far forward relative to the lingula and mandibular foramen.
Damage to the nerve near the lingula during osteotomy or third molar surgery, causing numbness of the lower lip and chin.
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