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Mental spine

Bony projection on the posterior aspect of the mandible

Field	Value
Name	Mental spine
Latin	spinae mentalis
Image	Slide2oooo.JPG
Caption	The posterior aspect of the mandible, showing mental spines.
Image2	Gray177.png
Caption2	A medial view of the mandible showing the attachments of genmkyoid and genioglossus.
System	Skeletal
Part_of	Mandible

A mental spine is a small projection of bone on the posterior aspect of the mandible in the midline. There are usually four mental spines: two superior and two inferior. Collectively they are also known as the genial tubercle, genial apophysis and the Latin name spinae mentalis. The inferior mental spines are the points of origin of the geniohyoid muscle, one of the suprahyoid muscles, and the superior mental spines are the origin of the genioglossus muscle, one of the muscles of the tongue. Mental spines are important landmarks in clinical practice.

Structure

Mental spines are found on the posterior aspect of the mandible (lower jaw bone) in the midline. They usually surround spinous mental foramina in the midline.

Variation

Mental spines may be found in over 98% of people. Over 70% of mandibles may only have 2 superior spines, while around 20% may have 4 spines.

Function

The inferior mental spines are the points of origin of the geniohyoid muscle, one of the suprahyoid muscles, and the superior mental spines are the origin of the genioglossus muscle, one of the muscles of the tongue.

Clinical significance

Mental spines are important landmarks for maxillofacial surgeons, dentists, and radiologists.

Etymology

The adjective mental in this instance is used in its "chin-related" sense (from Latin mentum) rather than its more common "mind-related" sense (from Latin mens). Collectively they are also known as the genial tubercle, genial apophysis and the Latin name spinae mentalis.

Additional images

File:Unterkiefer dorsal.png|The posterior aspect of the mandible, showing mental spines.

References

"Genial tubercle." The American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. Accessed: 22 Oct. 2007.
"Genial tubercle." Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Elsevier, Inc., 2004. Accessed: 22 Oct. 2007.
(2000-12-01). "Variations in the pattern of mental spines and spinous mental foramina in dry adult human mandibles". [[Springer Publishing]].

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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