The ramus is the paired vertical part of the mandible that unites with the body and extends upward from it. Each ramus of the mandible features several landmarks. The superior part of the ramus has two processes:

Condylar process - large, rounded posterior articular process of the ramus; it connects with the mandibular fossa and articular tubercle of the temporal bone at the temporomandibular joint; it has three parts:
- Head - the rounded articular part of the ramus; this part is also known as the mandibular condyle;
- Neck - the narrow segment below the head;
- Pterygoid fovea - a small pit found on the anteromedial aspect below the head; it serves as the attachment site for the lateral pterygoid muscle (inferior head);
Coronoid process - thin, flattened and triangular-shaped anterior process; its anterior border is convex and thick, while the posterior border is thinner and concave; the internal surface of this process features the temporal crest, which is a vertically directed oblique ridge that serves as the attachment site for the temporal muscle.

Both processes are separated and connected by a smooth and concave incisure called the mandibular notch.

Anatomical landmarks of internal surface

Besides the mentioned features, the internal surface of the ramus has the following landmarks:

Mandibular foramen - an opening that is found in the middle between the anterior and posterior borders of the ramus; it leads into the mandibular canal, which is a bony passage that transmits the inferior alveolar artery, vein, and nerve; branches of the mentioned vessels leave the mandible via the mental foramen; it is also known as the inferior alveolar foramen;
Lingula - a triangular-shaped sharp bony projection that overlies part of the mandibular foramen and extends upward from it; it is an attachment site for the sphenomandibular ligament; this landmark is also known as the Spix spine;
Mylohyoid groove - a small groove that extends forward and downward from the mandibular foramen; it lodges the mylohyoid nerve and the mylohyoid branch of the inferior alveolar artery;
Pterygoid tuberosity - a roughened area that is present on the internal surface near the angle of the mandible (posteroinferior to the mylohyoid groove); it serves as the attachment site for the medial pterygoid muscle.

Anatomical landmarks of external surface

The external surface of the ramus presents the masseteric tuberosity - a raised, roughened area that is found near the angle of the mandible. This tuberosity serves as the attachment site for the masseter muscle. Next to the masseteric tuberosity might be another landmark - a variably expressed hollow area known as the masseteric fossa.

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Lower jaw (ramus of mandible)