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The angle of the mandible (a.k.a. gonial angle, Masseteric Tuberosity, and Masseteric Insertion) is located at the
posterior border at the junction of the lower border of the
ramus of the 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 ...
.
The angle of the mandible, which may be either inverted or everted, is marked by rough, oblique ridges on each side, for the attachment of the
masseter
In anatomy, the masseter is one of the muscles of mastication. Found only in mammals, it is particularly powerful in herbivores to facilitate chewing of plant matter. The most obvious muscle of mastication is the masseter muscle, since it is the ...
laterally, and the
pterygoideus internus (
medial pterygoid muscle) medially; the
stylomandibular ligament is attached to the angle between these muscles.
The forensic term for the midpoint of the mandibular angle is the gonion. The gonion is a
cephalometric landmark located at the lowest, posterior, and lateral point on the angle. This site is at the apex of the maximum curvature of the mandible, where the ascending ramus becomes the body of the mandible.
The mandibular angle has been named as a forensic tool for gender determination, but some studies have called into question whether there is any significant
sex difference in humans in the angle.
Many mammals have a distinctive bony prong, the angular process, immediately above the angle of the mandible.
See also
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Ohngren's line
Additional images
Image:Mandibular angle - animation.gif, Position of angle of the mandible (shown in red). Animation.
File:Mandibular angle - close-up - animation.gif, 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 ...
bone. Position of angle shown in red.
File:Gray176 mandibular angle.png, Mandible. Outer surface. Side view. (Angle labeled at bottom right.)
File:Gray177 mandibular angle.png, Mandible. Inner surface. Side view. (Angle visible at bottom left.)
Image:Gray383.png, The Pterygoidei; the zygomatic arch and a portion of the ramus of the mandible have been removed.
File:Slide5oooo.JPG, Mandible. Inner surface. Angle of mandible labeled at bottom right.
References
External links
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* - "Oral Cavity: Bones"
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Bones of the head and neck
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