Preclinics of Dental Prosthetics · MU Sofia

3. Bones of the masticatory system – functional anatomy.

Covers the maxilla and mandible as the two bones carrying the teeth, going through the maxilla's four processes and body surfaces, then the mandible's outer and inner surfaces with their landmarks. It then lists the trigeminal branches supplying the teeth and jaws, with a table of each branch and what it supplies. It closes with how resorption and bony landmarks affect denture support and pressure relief.

Inside: 5 sections · 1 labelled picture · 2 tables · 14 flashcards · 5 min

Topic 3 of 75 in the MU Sofia syllabus for Preclinics of Dental Prosthetics (Dental Medicine, Year 2). The free AceMed note covers it in 5 sections, about 573 words (5 min of reading), with 14 flashcards.

In this note

  1. Introduction
  2. The maxilla
  3. The mandible
  4. Nerves of the jaws and teeth
  5. Why it matters for prosthetics

Introduction

The teeth are carried by two bones: the maxilla, fixed to the skull, and the mandible, the only movable bone of the face. Their landmarks decide how a prosthesis is supported, where nerves can be pressed and how far a denture may extend.

The maxilla

The upper jaw is a pair of bones, right and left, joined by a suture in the midline. Each half is an irregular, hollow bone: a body containing the maxillary sinus, and four processes.

The body has four surfaces: anterior (facial), infratemporal, orbital and nasal. Landmarks to know include the incisive fossa, canine eminence, infraorbital foramen, maxillary tuberosity and incisive canal.

The maxillary sinus lightens the skull, gives resonance to the voice and warms and moistens the air we breathe. It lies close to the roots of the upper posterior teeth, so infection can spread between the sinus and the mouth.

The mandible

The largest and strongest bone of the skull. It has one horizontal body and two vertical rami, and is attached to the skull only by the TMJs, ligaments and muscles.

Outer surface

  • Symphysis: the midline fusion of the two halves, with the mental protuberance and a mental tubercle on each side.
  • Alveolar eminences: bulges over the roots; over the canines they are the canine eminences.
  • Mental foramen: near the apex of the second premolar, 13–15 mm above the lower border in most people. It lets out the mental nerve and vessels.
  • External oblique ridge: runs from the canine region up to the front edge of the ramus.
  • Angle: where the lower border meets the back of the ramus; the masseter inserts on its outer surface.
  • Coronoid process: the front process of the ramus; the whole temporalis tendon inserts here and on the front edge of the ramus.
  • Condylar process: head and neck; the head sits in the mandibular fossa with the disc between, and the lateral pterygoid attaches to the front of the neck.

Inner surface

  • Genial tubercles: on each side of the midline; the genioglossus and geniohyoid attach here.
  • Mylohyoid line: a ridge from the molars toward the genial tubercles where the mylohyoid (floor of the mouth) attaches. Above it lies the sublingual fossa, below it the submandibular fossa.
  • Temporal crest: runs down from the coronoid to near the third molar; part of the temporalis tendon attaches here.

Continue reading free

The whole note, all 5 sections, is free with an AceMed account, with its 14 flashcards. Premium adds flashcard recall, highlights and Ask AI.

Start freeAlready a member? Open the note