Angle of the mandible

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Angle of the mandible (gonial angle)

The angle of the mandible is the corner where the lower jawbone (mandible) changes from the vertical part (ramus) to the horizontal body. It is at the back-lower edge of the jaw and can be tilted in or out (inverted or everted).

Ridges on each side mark where muscles attach: the masseter muscle on the outside and the medial pterygoid muscle on the inside. The stylomandibular ligament also attaches near this area.

The midpoint of the angle is called the gonion, a standard landmark used in skull measurements.

In forensic science, the angle has been studied as a potential clue to sex, but evidence for a clear difference between males and females is not strong.

Many mammals have an extra bony projection above the angle called the angular process.