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Background: The mental foramen is an important anatomical landmark and the possibility of the presence of the anterior loop mesial to the foramina is imperative to the dentist while performing various surgical procedures. Objective: To retrospectively visualize the anterior loop of the mental nerve in the panoramic radiographs. Methodology: Five hundred digital panoramic radiographs of patients who reported to Subharti Dental College, Meerut, taken between 2011 and 2013, were obtained from the Easy Dent Software. Results: At least one anterior loop was visualized in 73 (19%) radiographs out of 384 radiographs. The horizontal position of the mental foramen in relation to the lower teeth was most commonly below the apex of second premolar teeth (P4) on right side in 24.73% of radiographs while on left side was present in 29.4%. The most common radiographic appearance to be identified was the separated type (C2) which was found to be 14.06% and 17.70% on right and left side respectively. Conclusion: The anatomical landmark of the mental foramen is of paramount importance. The clinicians need to pin-point its location before the placement of implants in the foraminal region. Panoramic radiographs can be resourceful with its explicit depiction and confirmation of the presence of the anterior loop of the mental nerve. Injury to the mental nerve during implant placement can be avoided by identifying this anatomical landmark using advanced imaging modality and the surgical verification.

Background: The training of future dentists, who will care for geriatric patients, needs to evolve in accordance with the exponential increase in the aging population. The participants (undergraduate students) should improve their knowledge, attitudes, and skills with regard to the management of older people as they increasingly encounter them. It is, therefore, important to inculcate an empathetic attitude in the participants, toward the geriatric population. Aim: To assess the attitude of undergraduate dental students toward the geriatric population. Materials and Methods: All third and final year students of the Subharti Dental College, Meerut, were asked to participate voluntarily in the questionnaire study based on that of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The Geriatric Attitude Scale consists of a mixture of 14 positively and negatively worded statements answered on a five-point Likert Scale, ranging from 'Strongly disagree' (one point) to ' Strongly agree' (five points). Results: The mean UCLA attitude score was 3.44 [±standard deviation (SD), 0.09], suggesting that the cohort had a relatively positive attitude toward the geriatric population. There was no significant difference ( P = 0.9341) in the mean UCLA scores between the male and female participants. There was also no significant difference ( P = 0.7787) in the mean UCLA scores between the third and final year participants. Conclusion: The participants had a relatively positive attitude toward the geriatric population.