Where it is
The bone of the lower jaw, articulated with the skull at the temporomandibular joint.
- Layer
- Skeleton
- System
- Axial skeleton
- Region
- Head
What it is and what it does
The mandible is the bone of the lower jaw. It carries the lower teeth and articulates with the temporal bone of the skull at the temporomandibular joint, the one that allows the mouth to open and close. Its length relative to the maxilla determines how the lower teeth sit against the upper ones, that is, the occlusion.
Worth remembering
Its length relative to the upper jaw decides how the lower teeth sit against the upper ones (the occlusion).
Names
- Also called: inferior maxilla, lower jaw.
- Latin term: mandibula.
- In Romanian: Mandibula (Romanian page).
In the atlas lessons
Teeth: 28 deciduous, 42 permanent (4 min):
The deciduous dentition has 28 teeth: no molars, and 3 premolars on each half. The first premolar and the molars have no deciduous tooth before them.
Normal occlusion: the upper incisors sit just in front of the lower ones (a “scissor bite”). A type of bite accepted by a standard may still need treatment if the teeth strike the gums or the palate.
Questions from the atlas
"Find it on the drawing" questions whose answer is this structure; in the atlas you will find them in the question bank and in the lessons.