Mandibular ramus

The mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human face. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone of the skull (discounting the ossicles of the middle ear).Figure 3: Mandible of human embryo 24 mm. long. Outer aspect.Figure 4: Mandible of human embryo 24 mm. long. Inner aspect.Figure 5: Mandible of human embryo 95 mm. long. Outer aspect. Nuclei of cartilage stippled.Figure 5: Mandible of human embryo 95 mm. long. Inner aspect. Nuclei of cartilage stippled.At birth.In childhood.In the adult.In old age.Lateral viewGray181.pngThe surgical treatment of mandibular angle fracture. The mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human face. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone of the skull (discounting the ossicles of the middle ear). The bone is formed in the fetus from a fusion of the left and right mandibular prominences, and the point where these sides join, the mandibular symphysis, is still visible as a faint ridge in the midline. Like other symphyses in the body, this is a midline articulation where the bones are joined by fibrocartilage, but this articulation fuses together in early childhood. The word 'mandible' derives from the Latin word mandibula, 'jawbone' (literally 'one used for chewing'), from mandere 'to chew' and -bula (instrumental suffix).