[6] Running backward and upward from each mental tubercle is a faint ridge, the oblique line, which is continuous with the anterior border of the ramus.

The condyloid process, the superior (upper) and posterior projection from the ramus, makes the temporomandibular joint with the temporal bone.

In addition to mastication, the joint of the jawbone enables actions such speech and yawning,[13] while playing a more subtle role in activities such as kissing and breathing.

[17] In recent human evolution, both the oral cavity and jaws have shrunk in correspondence with the Neolithic-era shift from hunter-gatherer lifestyles towards agriculture and settlement, dated to c. 10,000 BCE.

[5] Between the lingula and the canine tooth the cartilage disappears, while the portion of it below and behind the incisor teeth becomes ossified and incorporated with this part of the mandible.

[5] About the sixth week of fetal life, intramembranous ossification takes place in the membrane covering the outer surface of the ventral end of Meckel's cartilage, and each half of the bone is formed from a single center which appears, near the mental foramen.

[5] At birth, the body of the bone is a mere shell, containing the sockets of the two incisor, the canine, and the two deciduous molar teeth, imperfectly partitioned off from one another.

The mandibular canal is of large size and runs near the lower border of the bone; the mental foramen opens beneath the socket of the first deciduous molar tooth.

The depth of the body increases owing to increased growth of the alveolar part, to afford room for the roots of the teeth, and by thickening of the subdental portion which enables the jaw to withstand the powerful action of the masticatory muscles; but, the alveolar portion is the deeper of the two, and, consequently, the chief part of the body lies above the oblique line.

The mandibular canal, after the second dentition, is situated just above the level of the mylohyoid line; and the mental foramen occupies the position usual to it in the adult.

The mental foramen opens midway between the upper and lower borders of the bone, and the mandibular canal runs nearly parallel with the mylohyoid line.

The ramus is almost vertical in direction, the angle measuring from 110° to 120°, also the adult condyle is higher than the coronoid process and the sigmoid notch becomes deeper.

[2] In old age, the bone can become greatly reduced in volume where there is a loss of teeth, and consequent resorption of the alveolar process and interalveolar septa.

There is no universally accepted treatment protocol, as there is no consensus on the choice of techniques in a particular anatomical shape of mandibular fracture clinic.

The articular disk of the temporomandibular joint prevents the mandible from moving posteriorly, making the condylar neck particularly vulnerable to fractures.

This resorption can occur to such an extent that the mental foramen is virtually on the superior border of the mandible, instead of opening on the anterior surface, changing its relative position.

Sometimes with excessive alveolar process absorption, the mandibular canal disappears entirely and deprives the IAN of its bony protection, although soft tissue continues to guard the nerve.

Oral muscles tend to work differently after the procedure, requiring therapy to relearn operations such as eating and speaking.

[29] In a technique illustrated in the 19th century, the flesh of the face is incised along the inferior of the mandible and peeled upward for the bone's removal.

[36] In 2010, the first successful face transplant was conducted on a Spanish farmer after a self-inflicted gun accident; this included the replacement of the entire mandible.

[6] Dental remains of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, including part of a mandible with teeth, were the solitary physical evidence used to confirm his death in 1945.

[38] In the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament Book of Judges, Samson used a donkey's jawbone to kill a thousand Philistines.

[39] As early as 1900, the phrase jaw-dropping was used as an adjective to describe a condition of shock in humans, e.g. when someone's mouth suddenly hangs agape in response to something.

The exaggerated visual gag of a jaw dropping to the floor was a trademark of American animation director Tex Avery, who would often employ it when the Big Bad Wolf spies a sexually attractive woman.

[40] Gobstoppers, a type of hard candy, are known in North America as jawbreakers due to the fracturing risk they impose on teeth.

[41] Owing in part to the forensic evidence of Hitler's death being limited to his dental remains (including a jawbone fragment broken and burnt around the alveolar process),[42] some fringe accounts (bolstered by the Soviet Union, which captured Berlin in 1945) allege that Hitler faked his death (ostensibly along with Eva Braun).

[38] In later decades, American real-estate businessman Fred Trump had a partial mandibulectomy which caused a conspicuous deformity.

[43][44] In his fight against cancer, American film critic Roger Ebert had a partial mandibulectomy in 2006,[45] in addition to later surgeries.