Mandible

mandible /man·di·ble/ (man´di-b'l) the horseshoe-shaped bone forming the lower jaw, articulating with the skull at the temporomandibular joint.mandib´ular

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man·di·ble (mnd-bl)

n.

A U-shaped bone forming the lower jaw, articulating with the temporal bone on either side. Also called submaxilla.

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man·dibu·lar (-dby-lr) adj.

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Mandible

The medical term for the lower jaw. One type of oral appliance used to treat OSA pushes the mandible forward in order to ease breathing during sleep.

Mentioned in: Maxillofacial Trauma, Sleep Apnea, Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

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mandible,

n the lower jawbone.

The mandible.

mandible, inferior,

n the border of the lower edge of the mandible. Begins anterior to the insertion of the masseter muscle at the inferior surface of the angles of the mandible and is continuous anteriorly with the incisor region.

mandible, movements of,

n.pl See movement, mandibular.

mandible, posture of,

n the physiologic rest position, or the rest vertical relation of the mandible.

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mandible

the horseshoe-shaped bone forming the lower jaw.

Consists of a central body, which forms the chin and supports the lower teeth, and two vertical or perpendicular rami, which point upward from the back of the chin on either side and articulate with the temporal bones by their condylar processes. The rami end as coronoid processes. In ruminants and carnivores the mandible is permanently divided into two halves by the mandibular symphysis, a joint that allows some rotation.

Lateral view of the dog mandible. By permission from Aspinall V, O'Reilly M, Introduction to Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, Butterworth Heinemann, 2004

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swollen mandible

generally enlarged due to osteodystrophia in horses and pigs; localized enlargement in actinomycosis of jaw in cattle, bone neoplasm.