Mandible
To read about other bones of the head and neck, use the links on the left-side of this page.
The mandible is one of the facial bones of the head. It is more commonly known as the lower jaw bone.
Location:
The mandible is commonly known as the lower jaw bone, and also forms the chin and sides of the face. It is the largest and strongest of all the facial bones.
Function(s):
The functions of the mandible (bone) include:
- The mandible is the bone into which the lower teeth are embedded.
- The mandible is the only moveable facial bone. Movement of the mandible is necessary for chewing food, which is the first stage of the digestion process - for more about this see the basic stages of digestion.
- Each side of the mandible has a condyle and a coronoid process. The condyle articulates with the temporal bone to form the temporomandibular joint.
See notes about, and labelled diagrams of, all human cranial and facial bones on one page.
More about Bones and the Skeletal System:
This website includes many pages about bones and the skeletal system. The following pages may be of interest. These also link to further pages about related topics such as specific types of fractures, bone diseases and so on.
- Structures and Functions of Bones (an overview about the Skeletal System)
- Types of Bones, such as long bones, short bones, flat bones, etc.
- Bone Markings and Features on Bones of the Human Body
- Types of Joints, such as immoveable, slightly moveable and freely moveable joints
- Diagram of the Human Skeleton
- Overview of types of Conditions and Disorders of the Skeletal System
For further information see also our pages of books about orthopaedics.
