The mandible (from Latin mandibula, "jawbone") or inferior maxillary bone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the face. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. In the midline on the anterior surface of the mandible is a faint ridge, an indication of the mandibular symphysis, where the bone is formed by the fusion of right and left processes during mandibular development. Like other symphysis in the body, this is a midline articulation where the bones are joined by fibrocartilage, but this articulation fuses together in early childhood.
