Read one subject section, close it, and recall the bold terms without looking. Then use the Anatomy browser flashcards and topic recall drills to test retrieval. This review supports the current NBC objectives for anatomic landmarks, muscles, and facial and cranial skeletal anatomy.
This is a rapid review, not the complete term list. Use the Anatomy Study-Term Index to verify that you have not skipped a named landmark or figure label.
Study every structure by asking what it changes for the technician:
| Anatomy area | Dental application |
|---|---|
| Directional terms and planes | Accurate communication about casts, restorations, and craniofacial relationships |
| Bones and muscle attachments | Understanding mandibular movement, facial support, and TMJ function |
| Muscles | Occlusion, impression-border movement, denture stability, and polished-surface contours |
| Oral landmarks | Support, relief, border extension, tooth position, and posterior denture limits |
| Tongue and floor of mouth | Functional space and mandibular denture stability |
| Salivary ducts | Recognition of oral landmarks that should not be confused with defects |
| TMJ | Hinge, protrusive, and lateral movements represented clinically and on articulators |
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Anterior | Toward the front |
| Posterior | Toward the back |
| Medial or internal | Toward the midsagittal plane |
| Lateral or external | Away from the midsagittal plane |
| Long axis | Longitudinal center line of a body or structure |
| Plane | Division produced |
|---|---|
| Sagittal | Right and left parts |
| Midsagittal | Equal right and left sides |
| Frontal | Anterior and posterior parts |
| Transverse or horizontal | Upper and lower parts |
| Category | Terms and distinctions |
|---|---|
| Elevations | A tubercle, eminence, or tuberosity is a relatively small raised area; a ridge is linear; a process is a prominent projection; a condyle is a rounded, smooth joint surface. |
| Depressions and channels | A fovea is a shallow cup-shaped pit; a fossa is a broader depression; a canal is a tubular passage through bone; a foramen is an entrance or exit opening. |
Dental connection: The TMJ classification matters because restorations and prostheses must function through both rotational and translational mandibular movements.
The adult skull contains 22 bones: 8 cranial bones and 14 facial bones.
| Bone | Number | High-yield feature |
|---|---|---|
| Frontal | 1 | Forms the anterior cranial vault and roof of the eye sockets. |
| Parietal | 2 | Form most of the top and sides of the cranium. |
| Occipital | 1 | Forms the posterior and part of the base of the skull. |
| Temporal | 2 | Contain structures involved in the TMJ and contribute to the zygomatic arches. |
| Sphenoid | 1 | Its greater wing contributes to the cranium and orbit; its pterygoid processes provide muscle attachments. |
| Ethmoid | 1 | Contributes to the nasal cavity and medial orbit. |
The 14 facial bones are paired maxillae, palatine bones, zygomas, lacrimal bones, nasal bones, and inferior conchae, plus the single vomer and mandible.
| Landmark | Identification or importance |
|---|---|
| Body | Horizontal portion of the mandible |
| Ramus | Vertical posterior portion |
| Angle | Junction of body and ramus |
| Condyloid process | Posterior superior process ending in the condyle |
| Coronoid process | Anterior superior process; temporalis insertion |
| Mandibular notch | Depression between coronoid and condyloid processes |
| Mandibular foramen | Opening on the medial ramus leading to the mandibular canal |
| Mental foramen | Buccal opening commonly near the mandibular premolars |
| Mylohyoid line | Medial ridge providing mylohyoid attachment |
| Genial tubercles | Midline lingual projections providing muscle attachments |
Dental connection: These landmarks orient muscle attachments, nerve openings, denture-support areas, and the structures responsible for mandibular movement.
| Muscle | Principal attachment pattern | Primary actions |
|---|---|---|
| Masseter | Zygomatic arch to lateral ramus and angle | Elevates the mandible; contributes to protrusion |
| Temporalis | Temporal region to coronoid process | Elevates; posterior fibers retrude |
| Medial pterygoid | Palatine/pterygoid region to medial ramus | Elevates; unilateral contraction may assist lateral movement |
| Lateral pterygoid | Sphenoid region to condyle/disc region | Protrudes and assists lateral movement and opening |
When the hyoid is stabilized, these muscles can pull the mandible downward and open the mouth.
Dental connection: Muscle actions help explain jaw closure, protrusion, retrusion, lateral excursion, impression-border movement, and forces acting on a prosthesis.
The teeth and alveolar processes support the lips and cheeks. Prostheses must replace lost support without interfering with muscle function.
| Muscle | High-yield action or role |
|---|---|
| Orbicularis oris | Encircles and controls the lips |
| Levator labii superioris | Elevates the upper lip |
| Zygomaticus major | Draws the mouth corner upward and laterally |
| Levator anguli oris | Elevates the corner of the mouth |
| Risorius | Draws the mouth corner laterally |
| Depressor labii inferioris | Depresses the lower lip |
| Depressor anguli oris | Depresses the mouth corner |
| Mentalis | Raises and protrudes the lower lip and wrinkles the chin |
| Buccinator | Compresses the cheek and helps control a food bolus; its fibers influence denture contours |
| Platysma | Tenses neck skin and assists depression of the mandible/lower lip region |
Dental connection: Impressions must reproduce the denture-bearing tissues and functional vestibular depth without overextending into movable mucosa.
| Landmark | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Residual ridge | Remaining alveolar process after extraction; resorbs over time |
| Maxillary tuberosity | Most posterior portion of the maxillary residual ridge |
| Pterygomaxillary notch | Helps define the posterior border of a maxillary denture |
| Hard palate | Anterior two-thirds of the palate; supported by bone |
| Soft palate | Mobile posterior one-third; not supported by bone |
| Incisive papilla | Midline landmark behind central incisors; useful for anterior tooth positioning |
| Rugae | Irregular fibrous ridges in the anterior hard palate |
| Median palatine raphe | Midline tissue elevation over the palatine suture |
| Vibrating line | Functional transition between relatively immobile and mobile palate |
| Palatine foveae | Paired depressions near the vibrating line associated with minor glands |
| Labial and buccal frena | Mobile folds that require denture-border notches |
| Landmark | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Retromolar pad | Stable posterior landmark, guide for occlusal-plane height, and distal denture support |
| Buccal shelf | Important mandibular denture support area, especially after ridge resorption |
| Mental foramen | May approach the ridge crest after resorption and require relief |
| Lingual frenum | Mobile midline fold influenced by tongue movement |
| Lingual sulcus | Groove formed where the floor of the mouth turns onto the ridge |
| Retromylohyoid space | Posterior third of the lingual sulcus area |
| Floor of the mouth | Primarily formed by the paired mylohyoid muscles and changes position during function |
A prosthesis must work in harmony with the tongue. Improper lingual contours can destabilize a denture.
| Gland | Location and duct |
|---|---|
| Parotid | Anterior/inferior to the ear; Stensen's duct opens in the maxillary buccal vestibule opposite the second molar |
| Submandibular | Mostly below the posterior mylohyoid edge; Wharton's duct opens on the floor of the mouth |
| Sublingual | Beneath the floor-of-mouth mucosa, above the mylohyoid; Bartholin's duct may open independently or join Wharton's duct |
Minor palatine glands are concentrated beneath the mucosa of the posterior hard and soft palate.
Dental connection: Salivary-gland and duct anatomy helps the technician interpret oral landmarks and understand why some small elevations or openings are normal anatomy.
The right and left TMJs connect the mandible to the skull.
| Structure | Function or relationship |
|---|---|
| Glenoid or mandibular fossa | Temporal-bone hollow containing the condyle during ordinary hinge movement |
| Articular eminence | Anterior ramp onto which the condyle translates |
| Mandibular condyle | Rounded joint surface at the end of the condyloid process |
| Articular disc | Fibrocartilage pad that absorbs shock and travels with the condyle |
| Upper synovial cavity | Space between disc and temporal bone |
| Lower synovial cavity | Space between disc and condyle |
| Synovial membrane | Produces lubricating synovial fluid |
| Capsule | Holds the disc, retains fluid, and helps prevent dislocation |
| Stylomandibular ligament | Styloid process to posterior ramus near the angle |
| Sphenomandibular ligament | Sphenoid spine to lingula near the mandibular foramen |
During protrusion, both condyles move from their fossae onto the articular eminences. During typical lateral movement, one condyle remains comparatively in its fossa while the other moves onto its eminence.
Dental connection: These movements underlie protrusive and lateral records, articulator settings, cusp relationships, and evaluation of excursions.
| Do not confuse | Key distinction |
|---|---|
| Fovea and foramen | A fovea is a shallow depression; a foramen is an opening. |
| Condyle and coronoid process | The condyle participates in the TMJ; the coronoid receives the temporalis insertion. |
| Hard and soft palate | Hard palate is bone-supported; soft palate is mobile and muscular. |
| Buccal shelf and residual ridge | Buccal shelf is lateral to the mandibular ridge and is a primary support area. |
| Intrinsic and extrinsic tongue muscles | Intrinsic muscles change shape; extrinsic muscles move the tongue's mass. |
| Stensen's and Wharton's ducts | Stensen's is parotid; Wharton's is submandibular. |
| Glenoid fossa and articular eminence | The fossa is the hollow; the eminence is the anterior ramp. |
Air Force Pamphlet 47-103, Volume 1, Chapter 3, sections 3.1-3.50. Exam emphasis is mapped to the NBC CDT Examination Handbook revised March 1, 2026.