Let us examine the structure of the mandible (mandibula).

It is an unpaired bone involved in the formation of the temporomandibular joint.

The mandible has the following parts:

• the body of the mandible (corpus mandibulae)

  

• the ramus of the mandible (ramus mandibulae) – 2x.

The body of the mandible has two surfaces:

• the external surface (facies externa)

• the internal surface (facies interna)

  The inferior part of the body is the base of the mandible (basis mandibulae).

  

  The superior part of the body is called the alveolar arch (arcus alveolaris).

  

  This arch contains the dental alveoli (alveoli dentales), in which the teeth are located.

  

  On the external surface of the arch, the alveoli form socalled alveolar yokes (juga alveolaria).

  

  The alveoli are separated from each other by interalveolar septa (septa interalveolaria).

  

  In the anterior part of the body, there is a mental protuberance (protuberantia mentalis).

  

  At the bottom, on each side, it ends in a mental tubercle (tuberculum mentale).

  

  Somewhat above and to the rear of the tubercle lies the mental foramen (foramen mentale), containing the submental vessels and nerve.

  

  Further back, towards the branch of the mandible, the oblique line (linea obliqua) is located.

  

  It extends upward into the temporal crest (crista temporalis).

  On the internal surface of the body, along the median line, there is a mental spine (spina mentalis).

  

  Below it on each side lies the digastric fossa (fossa digastrica).

  

  Above it, on each side, lies the sublingual fossa (fovea sublingualis), which contains the sublingual gland.

  

  Underneath this fossa runs posteriorly the mylohyoid line (linea mylohyoidea).

  

  And under it, the submandibular fossa (fovea submandibularis) is located, containing the submandibular gland.

  

  The ramus of the mandible has two surfaces:

• an external surface (facies externa)

• an internal surface (facies interna)

  The transition from the body of the mandible to the ramus of the mandible is called the angle of the mandible (angulus mandibulae).

  

  On the external surface of the angle lies the masseteric tuberosity (tuberositas masseterica).

  

  And on the internal surface lies the pterygoid tuberosity (tuberositas pterygoidea).

  

  There are muscles attached to these tuberosities.

  Above the pterygoid tuberosity lies the mandibular foramen (foramen mandibulae).

  

  It extends into the mandibular canal (canalis mandibulae), which ends on the external surface of the body with the already mentioned mental spine. The inferior alveolar artery and the inferior alveolar nerve pass through this canal.

  

  The mandibular foramen is covered by the lingula (lingula mandibulae).

  

  The mylohyoid groove (sulcus mylohoideus), in which the vessels and nerve are located, runs below and slightly in front.

  

  The ramus of the mandible has two processes:

• the coronoid process (processus coronoideus)

  

• the condylar process (processus condylaris), which is connected to the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone to form the temporomandibular joint.

The processes are separated by the mandibular notch (incisura mandibulae).

The articular process ends as the head of the mandible (caput mandibulae), which is located on the neck of the mandible (collum mandibulae).

There is a pterygoid fovea (fovea pterygoidea) on the anterior surface of the neck.

Dictionary

Mandible (lower jaw)

mandible

mandibula

body of mandible

corpus mandibulae

ramus of mandible

ramus mandibulae

external surface

facies externa

internal surface

facies interna

base of mandible

basis mandibulae

alveolar arch

arcus alveolaris

dental alveoli

alveoli dentales

alveolar yokes

juga alveolaria

interalveolar septa

septa interalveolaria

mental protuberance

protuberantia mentalis

mental tubercle

tuberculum mentale

mental foramen

foramen mentale

oblique line

linea obliqua

temporal crest

crista temporalis

mental spine

spina mentalis

digastric fossa

fossa digastrica

sublingual fossa

fovea sublingualis

mylohyoid line

linea mylohyoidea

submandibular fossa

fovea submandibularis

angle of mandible

angulus mandibulae

masseteric tuberosity

tuberositas masseterica

pterygoid tuberosity

tuberositas pterygoidea

mandibular foramen

foramen mandibulae

mandibular canal

canalis mandibulae

lingula

lingula mandibulae

mylohyoid groove

sulcus mylohyoideus

coronoid process

processus coronoideus

condylar process

processus condylaris

mandibular notch

incisura mandibulae

head of mandible

caput mandibulae

neck of mandible

collum mandibulae

pterygoid fovea

fovea pterygoidea