Defining the ascending ramus: A search

Statement of problem: Lack of an accepted definition for the ascending ramus of the mandible means no common reference point is available for clinical or research dialogue. Purpose: The purpose of this review was to determine whether the ascending ramus has been defined, by using a search of published studies. Material and methods: PubMed was searched, using terms “ascending ramus” and “mandible.” Results: The search found no acceptable definition of the ascending ramus of the mandible. Conclusions: An acceptable definition for the ascending ramus of the mandible is lacking, and one is proposed here.