Mandible Landmarks

Question 1

What marks the midline of the mandible?

Answer 1

the mental symphysis - where the 2 parts of the mandible come together and ossify

Question 2

What is the mental protuberance?

Answer 2

The triangular prominence of the skin

Question 3

What are the mental tubercles?

Answer 3

The lower angles of the mental protuberance

Question 4

What attaches in the incisive fossa, and where is it located?

Answer 4

Mentalis muscle attaches in incisive fossa, it is the depression between the mandibular incisors

Question 5

What is the canine eminence?

Answer 5

Little bump part under the canine because the canine has a long root

Question 6

What passes through the mental foramen?

Answer 6

The mental nerve and vessels - important for dentistry

Question 7

What is the thickest part of the mandible?

Answer 7

The external oblique line

Question 8

What is the buccal shelf?

Answer 8

The flattened area lateral to the mandibular molars

Question 9

What is the significance of the buccal shelf?

Answer 9

It is the site of the long buccal nerve block; it is the flattened area between external oblique line and the teeth

Question 10

What is the coronoid notch?

Answer 10

The concavity of the anterior border of the ramus, it is the thumb position spot during an inferior alveolar nerve block

Question 11

What attaches to the coronoid process?

Answer 11

The temporalis muscle

Question 12

What is the premasteric notch?

Answer 12

The concavity on the lower border of the mandible, where the facial artery crosses

Question 13

Where does the masseter attach?

Answer 13

To the lateral aspect of the ramus; covers the entire lateral surface of the ramus

Question 14

What is the condylar process of the mandible?

Answer 14

The neck and condyle of the mandible; articulation with the temporomandibular joint

Question 15

What is the condyle?

Answer 15

The actual articular surface of the mandible; it is convex anterior to posterior and medial to lateral; things attach at the medial and lateral poles

Question 16

Neck of the mandible

Answer 16

Narrow part

Question 17

What is the masseteric notch? (same thing as sigmoid or mandibular notch)

Answer 17

Nerves and vessels to the masseter pass OVER this notch, it is the superior border of the ramus

Question 18

What inserts to the pterygoid fossa, and where is it located?

Answer 18

Pterygoid fossa, it is located just below the condyle of the mandible

Question 19

What is the temporal crest?

Answer 19

Ridge on the inner surface of the ramus, insertion of the temporalis muscle

Question 20

What is the lingula, and what attaches here?

Answer 20

It is the point that is just anterior to the mandibular foramen. The sphenomandibular ligament attaches here

Question 21

What transmits through the mandibular foramen?

Answer 21

The inferior alveolar nerve and vessels

Question 22

What lies in the mylohyoid groove

Answer 22

Mylohyoid nerve

Question 23

What inserts on the pterygoid tubercles?

Answer 23

The medial pterygoid muscle

Question 24

What is the mandibular canal

Answer 24

it is a canal inside the bone for the inferior alveolar nerve and vessels

It is not a regular canal, but it will look like a tube on an x-ray

Question 25

What is the origin of the mylohyoid muscle?

Answer 25

The mylohyoid line of the mandible

Question 26

Where does the submandibular gland lay against the mandible?

Answer 26

In the submandibular fossa which is inferior to the posterior part of the mylohyoid

Question 27

Where is the sublingual fossa?

Answer 27

Superior to the mylohyoid, basically right under the incisors on the lingual aspect

Question 28

What is the lingual tuberosity?

Answer 28

The bone that lies over the root of the most posterior molar, this is also the most medial part of the mandible. The lingual nerve lies against the bone here

Question 29

Where will the inferior half of the geniohyoid and the superior half of the genioglossus attach?

Answer 29

Mental spines

Question 30

What is the digastric fossa?

Answer 30

Attachment of the anterior digastric belly to the inferior border of the mandible

Question 31

What is the foramen that is associated with mental spines for nutrient artery? It is not an anatomical foramen, it is a radiologic landmark

Answer 31

Lingual foramen

Question 32

What is the triangle shape behind the last molar, and what attaches to its apex?

Answer 32

The retromolar trigone, and the pterygomandibular raphe attaches to this apex

Question 33

What happens to the alveolar ridge with the loss of teeth?

Answer 33

The alveolar ridge will resorb

Question 34

What problem will the loss of the alveolar bone cause for dentistry?

Answer 34

Losing the alveolar bone will change the relative position of the mental foramen and the location of the muscle attachments relative to the ridge

Question 35

Which way do the coronoid processes flare?

Answer 35

Laterally, for the attachment of the temporalis

Question 36

Because the dental arch is more narrow than the arch of the mandible, the dental arch will over hang what landmark?

Answer 36

The dental arch will overhang the submandibular fossa, and the molars are more medial than the bone

Question 37

In what direction are the condyles angled?

Answer 37

Posteriorly and medially

Question 38

Where do the axes through the condylar poles intersect when the mandible is extended?

Answer 38

The axes through the condylar poles intersect at the foramen magnum

Question 39

What is the most common fracture of the mandible?

Answer 39

A bilateral fracture of the body of the mandible
This will occur anterior to the trihedral eminence because the trihedral eminence is the widest and strongest part of the mandible

When you have 1 fracture, you will most likely have 2 although the fractures wont always be at the same spot in both sides