The mental foramen is a small depression on the front of the skull, located at the junction of the maxillary and sphenoid bones. It is paired and connects the inner ear, nerve centers and brain canals due to the location of the facial nerve and the corresponding branch of the carotid artery in this place. The foramen is conventionally located along the midline of the face, although the maxillary and mandibular foramina are slightly offset from the midline.
At birth in a baby, the mental (minimal) opening in the skull is already formed with the help of connective tissue, and after birth in the fetus it increases due to the craniofacial growth of the skull in size. At the time of birth