The mental ossicles: A narrative review

Abstract

The mental ossicles, or the ossicula mentalia, are small anatomical structures located at the midline between the left and right mandibular halves in infants. They appear between 6 and 7 weeks of gestational age and disappear before or shortly after birth. Although they play a crucial role in shaping the human chin in the developmental stage, the mental ossicles are rarely described in the scientific literature. In this paper, we searched the available literature on “PubMed” and “Google Scholar” databases. Search terms such as “mental ossicles”, “ossicula mentalia”, and “mental bones” were used, followed by backward citation tracking to do a full-text review. The objective of this narrative review is to discuss the mental ossicles and their occurrence, anatomical characteristics, embryological and histological findings. Understanding the mental ossicles in a human fetus play a critical role in the proper mandibular development and craniofacial symmetry.