The Mandible

What is the primary shape of the mandible?

Which part of the mandible is responsible for the attachment of muscles of mastication?

What type of joint does the mandible articulate with the temporal bone?

What is the largest and strongest bone of the face?

How is the body of the mandible characterized in terms of its structure?

Which process of the mandible is sharp and beak-like in appearance?

What structure does the head of the condyle articulate with?

What connects the mandibular teeth to the maxillary teeth?

Which of the following statements about the ramus of the mandible is true?

What type of bone structure is the mandible classified as?

What is housed by the alveolar process of the mandible?

Which plate forms part of the alveolar process of the mandible?

Where is the mental foramen located?

What feature originates at the mental tubercle?

Which part of the condyle supports the head?

What does the external oblique ridge become?

What is the mental protuberance also known as?

What muscle originates from the upper aspect of the mental spine?

What feature of the mandible is referred to as the site of the submandibular salivary gland?

Which of the following features reflects the bony origin of the anterior belly of the digastric muscle?

How many separate spines can the mental spine have?

Which muscle attaches to the mylohyoid ridge?

What does the sublingual fossa house?

What are mental tubercles?

The mandible is the lower jaw, a single bone
It is the largest and strongest bone of the face
The mandible is horseshoe-shaped, composed of a body with two rami (one on each side) - it articulates with the skull at the temporomandibular joint
This joint allows for the movement of the jaw and helps with chewing
The mandible offers attachment points for muscles like those involved in chewing.

Body: The horizontal portion, forming the U-shaped bone.
Ramus: The vertical portion extending upwards from the body.
Alveolar Process: Houses the teeth, composed of two plates (facial and lingual) connected by bony septa.
Condyle: The roller-shaped head that articulates with the temporal bone's mandibular fossa.
Neck: The bar of bone below the condyle.
Coronoid Process: Sharp, beak-like process anterior to the condyle, serving as the insertion point for the temporalis muscle.

External Oblique Ridge: Runs from the mental tubercle upwards and backwards, forms the anterior border of the vertical ramus (a ridge of bone).
Mental Foramen: Located near the second premolar, midpoint of the inferior border and the alveolar crest, allows passage for the mental nerve and artery.
Mental Protuberance (Chin): Triangular elevation of bone.
Mental Tubercles: Small elevations on either side of the mental protuberance..

Digastric Fossa: Small depressions on either side of the midline, reflecting the origins of the digastric muscle.
Mental Spine/Genial Tubercles: Up to 4 separate spines or a single fused spine, the upper aspect is the origin of the genioglossus muscle and the lower aspect is the origin of the geniohyoid muscle.
Mylohyoid Ridge: The origin of the mylohyoid muscle, which forms the floor of the mouth's anterior part.
Submandibular Fossa: Located at the internal surface, houses the submandibular salivary gland.
Sublingual Fossa: Located at the internal surface, houses the sublingual salivary gland.