Anatomy of the Mandible
Anatomy of the Mandible
Objectives
By the end of these revision notes, you should:
The basic anatomy of the mandible
The mandible is a single U-shaped bone and is the largest bone of the facial skeleton and is crucial in dentistry. Aside from the bones of the middle ear, it is also the only mobile bone present in the skull. It articulates with the rest of the skull via the temporomandibular joints on either side.
Anatomical Structure
The mandible is composed of two main parts – a body and two rami either side.
There are multiple key anatomical landmarks in each of these areas that are crucial to be aware of for nerve and muscle anatomy.
Body
The body of the mandible is the horizontal portion that can be divided in to two parts:
- Alveolar bone – this is the area superiorly that houses the mandibular teeth
- Base – this is the rest of the body inferior to the alveolar bone
Within the alveolar bone, interalveolar septa travel from the buccal bone to the lingual bone to create tooth sockets.
The anatomy of the mandible can also be considered based on the surface – there is the external surface and the internal surface.
The key landmarks of the external surface are described below:
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Ramus
Muscle attachments
Embryology
1) Meckel's Cartilage
2) Mandibular ossification
3) Postnatal development
Examples
Example 1
Example 2
Summary