Mental spine

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Mental spine
File:800px-Unterkiefer dorsal.png
The posterior aspect of the mandible showing the mental spine.

A medial view of the mandible showing the attachments of geniohyoid and genioglossus.
Latin	spinae mentalis
Gray's	subject #44 172

The mental spine is a small projection of bone on the posterior aspect of the mandible (jaw bone) in the midline. It is also known as the genial tubercle^[1], genial apophysis and the Latin name spinae mentalis. The mental spine is the point of insertion of the geniohyoid muscle^[2], one of the suprahyoid muscles and the origin of the genioglossus muscle, one of the muscles of the tongue.

References

↑ "Genial tubercle." The American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. http://www.answers.com/topic/mental-spine Accessed: 22 Oct. 2007.
↑ "Genial tubercle." Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Elsevier, Inc., 2004. http://www.answers.com/topic/mental-spine Accessed: 22 Oct. 2007.

v • d • e

Bones of head and neck: the facial bones of the skull

Maxilla

Surfaces

Anterior: fossae (Incisive fossa, Canine fossa) - Infraorbital foramen - Anterior nasal spine

Infratemporal: Alveolar canals - Maxillary tuberosity

Orbital: Infraorbital groove - Infraorbital canal

Nasal: Pterygopalatine canal

Processes

Zygomatic process

Frontal process (Agger nasi, Anterior lacrimal crest)

Alveolar process

Palatine process (Incisive foramen, Incisive canals, Foramina of Scarpa, Incisive bone, Anterior nasal spine)

Other

Body of maxilla - Maxillary sinus

Zygomatic

Orbital process (Zygomatico-orbital) - Temporal process (Zygomaticotemporal) - Lateral process (Zygomaticofacial)

Palatine

Fossae	Pterygopalatine fossa - Pterygoid fossa
Plates	Horizontal plate (Posterior nasal spine) - Perpendicular plate (Pterygopalatine canal, Sphenopalatine foramen, Pyramidal process)
Processes	Orbital - Sphenoidal

Mandible

Body	external surface (Symphysis menti, Mental protuberance, Mental foramen) - internal surface (Mental spine, Mylohyoid line, Sublingual fovea, Submandibular fovea) - Alveolar part of mandible
Ramus	Mylohyoid groove (Mandibular canal, Lingula) - Mandibular foramen - Angle Coronoid process - Mandibular notch - Condyloid process