Corpus: Mandibular fossa

The mandibular fossa is a depression of the temporal bone (Os temporale) covered with cartilage. Together with the intervening articular disc and the articular head of the mandible, it forms the temporomandibular joint (articulatio temporomandibularis).

The mandibular fossa has an oval to square basic shape. It is subdivided into two parts by the petrotympanic fissure (Glaser's fissure). Only the ventral part of the fossa ("facies articularis") serves as the articular surface and is covered with fibrocartilage. The dorsal section is covered by fibrous connective tissue and lies extracapsularly, i.e. outside the joint capsule of the temporomandibular joint. The articular tuberosity is located intracapsularly ventral to the mandibular fossa.

The external auditory canal (external acoustic meatus) is located in close anatomical proximity to the mandibular fossa on the dorsal side.