The condyloid process or condylar process is the

process A process is a series or set of activities that interact to produce a result; it may occur once-only or be recurrent or periodic. Things called a process include: Business and management * Business process, activities that produce a specific s ...

on the human and other

mammalia A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle ear bon ...

n species'

mandible In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

s that ends in a

condyle A condyle (;Entry "condyle"
in

, the mandibular condyle. It is thicker than the

coronoid process of the mandible In human anatomy, the mandible's coronoid process () is a thin, triangular eminence, which is flattened from side to side and varies in shape and size. Its anterior border is convex and is continuous below with the anterior border of the ramus. ...

and consists of two portions: the condyle and the constricted portion which supports it, the neck.

Condyle

The most superior part of the mandible, the condyle presents an articular surface for articulation with the

articular disk The articular disc (or disk) is a thin, oval plate of fibrocartilage present in several joints which separates synovial cavities. This separation of the cavity space allows for separate movements to occur in each space. The presence of an articul ...

of the

temporomandibular joint In anatomy, the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) are the two joints connecting the jawbone to the skull. It is a bilateral Synovial joint, synovial articulation between the temporal bone of the skull above and the condylar process of mandible be ...

; it is convex from before backward and from side to side, and extends further on the posterior than on the anterior surface. Its long axis is directed medialward and slightly backward, and if prolonged to the middle line will meet that of the opposite condyle near the anterior margin of the

foramen magnum The foramen magnum () is a large, oval-shaped opening in the occipital bone of the skull. It is one of the several oval or circular openings (foramina) in the base of the skull. The spinal cord, an extension of the medulla oblongata, passes thro ...

. At the lateral extremity of the condyle is a small tubercle for the attachment of the

temporomandibular ligament The temporomandibular ligament, also known as the external lateral ligament, is a ligament that connects the lower articular tubercle of the zygomatic arch to the lateral and posterior border of the neck of the mandible. It prevents posterior disp ...

. The articular surface of the condyle is covered by fibrous tissue, and interfaces with an articular disk (or meniscus) of avascular, non-innervated fibrous tissue (collagen, fibroblasts). When the mouth is closed the meniscus is bordered medially and superiorly by the glenoid fossa of the petrous portion of the temporal bone. When the mouth is opened maximally, the meniscus is distracted anteriorly and inferiorly along the slope of the inferior portion of the temporal bone towards the tubercle, or articular eminence, in order to remain interposed between the condyle and the temporal bone in all jaw positions.

Neck

The neck of the process rises from the posterior of the

ramus mandibulae In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbon ...

. It is flattened from before backward, and strengthened by ridges which descend from the forepart and sides of the condyle. Its posterior surface is convex; its anterior surface has a depression for the attachment of the

lateral pterygoid muscle The lateral pterygoid muscle (or external pterygoid muscle) is a muscle of mastication. It has two heads. It lies superior to the medial pterygoid muscle. It is supplied by pterygoid branches of the maxillary artery, and the lateral pterygoid n ...

Fractures

Since the articular disk prevents the mandible from moving posteriorly, the condylar neck is often subject to fracturing when the jaw suffers a blow.

Additional images

References

External links

* * - "Osteology of the Skull: Mandible of Intact Skull" * * {{Authority control Bones of the head and neck