Anatomy relevant to dentistry 1

Soft tissues – diagram

  • Mucous membrane is red tissue covered by epithelium, covering inside the oral cavity & tubular organs
  • Epitheliumlines or covers surface of body, different types, skin etc

G ms anat rel to dentistry 1 Page 1 of 8

Skull

  • Foramen means an opening in a bone through which blood vessels, nerves and ligaments pass. Cranial nerves
  • Fossais ahollow groove or depressed area in a bone
  • Process is a prominence or projection of bone
  • Meatus is external opening of a canal
  • Tuberosity is a large rounded process

G ms anat rel to dentistry 1 Page 1 of 8

Sinus air filled space within the bone, lined with mucous membrane. Communicate with the nasal cavity.

Sinusitis

  • Inflammation of a sinus caused by bacteria or allergy

Signs and symptoms

  • Ablocked or runny nose. Green or yellow mucus = bacterial infection.
  • Pain and tenderness in the face (near the infected sinuses).
  • Throbbing pain that is worse when you move your head, and
  • Toothache (referred pain)
  • Ahigh temperature.

Other possible symptoms include:

  • tiredness
  • asinus headache
  • a cough
  • bad breath (halitosis)
  • pressure in your ears
  • loss of taste and smell
  • a feeling of being generally unwell

G ms anat rel to dentistry 1 Page 1 of 8

G ms anat rel to dentistry 1 Page 1 of 8

G ms anat rel to dentistry 1 Page 1 of 8

Mandible is a single bone forming the lower jaw and carries the lower teeth

  • Separate from the other skull bones
  • Meets the rest of the skull at the temporo-mandibular joint
  • One tmj on each side. Here the mandible articulates with the temporal bone
  • There are 5 processes: one alveolar, 2 condylar processes (condyle) and 2 coronoid processes.

G ms anat rel to dentistry 1 Page 1 of 8

Temporomandibular Joint

  • A sliding hinge joint which allows movements of the mandible to take place. There are 2 which move together
  • The TMJ is surrounded by a fibrous capsule mostly made up of collagen fibres attached to the temporal bone and passes like a sleeve over the head of the condyle.
  • When opening the mouth the condyles rotate within the fossa
  • Open the mouth wider and the condyles slide forward and downward on the front of the fossa along the articular eminence
  • When mouth closes – condyle returns to it’s position in the fossa
  • For side to side movements – (left) the left condyle will stay in place and the right condyle will move forwards and downwards.

TMJ disorders

Dislocation

  • Condyles move too far forward and they travel over the front of the articular eminence
  • They will be unable to move back on their own and the mouth will not close
  • Treatment is to press down on lower molar teeth with thumbs and pull mandible up with fingers
  • If this does not work,GA or muscle relaxants may be required

Trismus

  • (lockjaw) is spasm of the muscles of mastication that keeps mouth closed.
  • Treatment requires treating the underlying condition with dental treatments,physical therapy, and passiverange of motiondevices.
  • Additionally, control of symptoms with pain medications (NSAIDs),muscle relaxants, and warm compresses may be used.Splints may be used.

TMJ dysfunction

  • Symptoms such as clicking or grating, swelling of the joint, tenderness, pain in the head neck and muscles of mastication.
  • Clicking occurs when the meniscus moves forward or backwards of it’s normal position
  • Grinding or clenching (bruxism) can cause pain and tenderness, causing strain on muscles of mastication.
  • Treatment for bruxism may include splints, tranquillisers (muscle relaxant) or physiotherapy.

G ms anat rel to dentistry 1 Page 1 of 8