THE MANDIBLE

RAHEEQ BABIKER IBRAHEM

BDS-NUSU
MSC. HUMAN AND CLINICAL ANATOMY-NUSU
 The mandible or lower jaw is the
largest & strongest bone of the face.

 Located inferiorly in the facial skeleton

 The only movable bone of skull.

 It is connected to the temporal bones

by the temporomandibular joints.

 Consists of a horizontal body

(anteriorly) and two vertical rami
(posteriorly).

 The body and the rami meet on each

side at the angle of the mandible.
Body

 It is horse-shoe shaped

 Has two surfaces and two borders

o surfaces
 External or Outer or Lateral

 Internal or Inner or Medial

o borders:
 Upper (superior) and Lower (inferior)
 Alveolar border (superior) –
contains sockets to hold the
lower teeth

 Base (inferior) – near the

midline shows an oval
depression called as
DIGASTRIC FOSSA site of
attachment for the digastric
muscle.
 OUTER SURFACE OF THE BODY

 Symphysis Menti : is a small ridge of bone that represents the

fusion of the two halves during development which fuse at
about one year of age.

 Mental Protuberance: encloses a triangular eminence at the

lower part of Symphysis which forms the shape of the chin.

 Mental Tubercles: the base of Protuberance is depressed in

the center but raised on both sides to form the mental tubercle
 Mental foramen: below the second
premolar tooth on either side. It
acts as a passageway for mental
vessels and nerve.

 Oblique line : faint ridge which is

continuous with the anterior
border of the ramus.

 Incisive fossa :depression above

the mental tubercle eon both sides
the mentalis muscles attach to it.
 THE INNER SURFACE OF THE BODY
 Superior & Inferior genial tubercles
(mental spines) near the lower
part of the inner surface of
symphysis

 Mylohyoid line is a bony ridge on

the internal surface of the body of
the mandible extends
posterosuperiorly divided inner
surface into 2 fossa
 The mylohyoid line continues as the mylohyoid groove
on the internal surface of the ramus.

 Below the mylohyoid line, surface is slightly hollowed

out to form SUBMANDIBULAR FOSSA which lodges
submandibular gland.

 Above the mylohyoid line, there is SUBLINGUAL FOSSA

which lodges sublingual gland.
Rami

 There are two ramus project perpendicularly upwards

from the angle of the mandible.

 Quadrilateral in shape

 Consists of two surfaces ,four borders & two

processes

 UPPER BORDER: Thin and curved downwards forming
the mandibular notch.

 LOWER BORDER: Backward continuation of base of

mandible. At its junction with the posterior border is
the angle of the mandible

 ANTERIOR BORDER is thin above, thicker below, and

continuous with the oblique line.

 POSTERIOR BORDER is thick, smooth, rounded, and

 The coronoid process is a thin, triangular eminence which is
flattened from side to side.

 The condyloid process is thicker than the coronoid and

consists of two portions:

 Head – situated posteriorly, and articulates with the

temporal bone to form the temporomandibular joint.

 Neck – supports the head of the ramus and show pterygoid

fossa site of attachment of the lateral pterygoid muscle.
 LATERAL SURFACE (outer ) of the ramus is flat and
continuous with outer surface of body.

 MEDIAL SURFACE (inner)

 Mandibular foramen at the center of the ramus for the
entrance of the inferior alveolar vessels and nerve.
 Lingula is a prominent
bony ridge on the medial
side of the mandible. It is
next to the mandibular
foramen

 mylohyoid groove at its

lower and back part lingula
runs obliquely downward
 Muscular Attachments
 Body

 Buccinator arises from outer

surface of the sockets of the 3
molars teeth

 Incisive fossa: gives origin to

MENTALIS and mental slips of
ORBICULARIS ORIS.

 PLATYSMA is inserted into the

lower border of the body.
 Depressor labii inferioris and depressor anguli oris arises
below the mental foramen
 GENIOGLOSSUS arises from the superior genial tubercles.
 GENIOHYOID arises from the inferior genial tubercles.
 MYLOHYOID MUSCLE arises from the mylohyoid line.
 SUPERIOR CONSTRICTOR OF PHARYNX arises from the
area above the posterior end of mylohyoid line.
 Ramus
 The lateral surface of ramus provides insertion to
MASSETER.
 TEMPORALIS is inserted At the apex of coronoid
process extended downwards on ant. border of ramus.
 LATERAL PTERYGOID inserted into the pterygoid fossa
at the neck of the mandible.
 MEDIAL PTERYGOID inserted into the angle of the
mandible.
Ligaments attached to mandible

 Stylomandibular ligament It extends from the styloid process of

the temporal bone to the posterior border of the angle of the
mandible

 Sphenomandibular ligament from the spine of the sphenoid bone

and becoming broader as it descends, is fixed to the lingula of the
mandibular foramen.

 Temporomandibular ligament connects the lower articular tubercle

of the zygomatic arch to the lateral and posterior border of the
neck of the mandible.
 Pterygomandibular raphe /
ligament It is attached
superiorly to the pterygoid
hamulus of the medial
pterygoid plate, and
inferiorly to the posterior end
of the mylohyoid line of the
mandible.


Nerves related to mandible

 The inferior alveolar nerve, a branch of the mandibular nerve, (a major

division of the trigeminal nerve), enters the mandibular foramen and
runs forward in the mandibular canal, supplying sensation to the teeth.

 At the mental foramen, the nerve divides into two terminal branches:
incisive and mental nerves.

 The incisive nerve runs forward in the mandible and supplies the
anterior teeth.

 The mental nerve exits the mental foramen and supplies sensation to
the lower lip.
 Mylohyoid nerve runs in the mylohyoid groove, and
supplies the mylohyoid muscle.

 The lingual nerve is related to the medial surface of

the ramus in front of the mylohyoid groove.

 The masseteric nerve and vessels pass through the

mandibular notch.

 The auricotemporal nerve is related to the medial

side of the neck of the mandible.
BLOOD SUPPLY OF THE MANDIBLE

 Central blood supply via THE INFERIOR ALVEOLAR

ARTERY except the coronoid process , which is
supplied by temporalis muscle vessels.
 2. Peripheral blood supply via the PERIOSTEUM..
periosteal supply ,which generally runs parallel to
cortical surfaces of bone, giving off nutrient vessels
those penetrate cortical bone and anastomose with
the branches of inferior alveolar artery.
NERVE SUPPLY OF MANDIBLE

 It is basically derived from mandibular branch of trigeminal nerve.

 1. The long buccal nerve: The anterior division of the mandibular

nerve. It supplies mucosa opposite the last three mandibular
molars on their buccal aspect.

 2. The inferior alveolar nerve: The posterior division of the

mandibular nerve. It supplies all lower jaw teeth, lower lip, buccal
mucosa from the incisors to the premolar & the skin over the chin.


 3. The lingual nerve: The posterior division of the
mandibular nerve. It gives sensory supply to the
anterior 2/3rd of tongue, the mucosa on the lingual
aspect of the lower teeth & the floor of mouth.
LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE

 Most of the mandible & lower teeth drain into the

submandibular group of lymph nodes .
 Except a small wedge in the symphysis region & the
lower incisors which drain into the submental group of
lymph nodes.
 From the submental group the lymph drains to the
submandibular group of nodes.
 The submandibular nodes drain to the deep cervical
lymph nodes.

AGE CHANGES IN THE MANDIBLE

 AT BIRTH

 The body of the bone is a mere shell, containing the

sockets of the two incisor, the canine, and the two
deciduous molar teeth.

 The mandibular canal is of large size, and runs near the

lower border of the bone.

 The mental foramen opens beneath the socket of the

first deciduous molar tooth.
 CHILDHOOD

 The two segments of the bone become joined at the

symphysis in the first year.

 The body becomes elongated in its whole length, but

more especially behind the mental foramen, to
provide space for the three additional teeth developed
in this part.

 The angle becomes less obtuse owing to the

 IN ADULTS
 After the eruption of permanent teeth the mental foramen
lies mid-way between the upper & lower borders of the
bone.
 Growth of the rami takes place posteriorly & vertically by
the process of remodeling.
 Posterior growth accommodates the eruption of
permanent molars & reduces the angle of mandible to
almost 110º-115º.
 Vertical growth allows the condylar process to lie higher
than the coronoid process.
 IN OLD AGE

 Teeth fall out and the alveolar border is absorbed so

that the height of the body is markedly reduced.

 The mental foramen and the mandibular canal are

close to the alveolar border.

 The angle again becomes obtuse about 140 degrees

because the ramus is oblique.