Mandibular nerve
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| Nerve: Mandibular nerve | ||
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| Mandibular division of the trifacial nerve. | ||
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| Mandibular division of trifacial nerve, seen from the middle line. The small figure is an enlarged view of the otic ganglion. | ||
| Latin | n. mandibularis | |
| Gray's | subject #200 893 | |
| From | trigeminal nerve | |
| MeSH | A08.800.800.120.760.500 | |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | n_05/12566125 | |
The mandibular nerve (V3) is the largest of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve.
Contents |
[edit] Structure
[edit] Roots
It is made up of two roots:
- a large sensory root proceeding from the inferior angle of the semilunar ganglion.
- a small motor root (the motor part of the trigeminal), which passes beneath the ganglion, and unites with the sensory root, just after its exit through the foramen ovale.
[edit] Path
The two roots (sensory and motor) exit the middle cranial fossa through the foramen ovale. The two roots then combine. The nerve descends, soon splitting into an anterior division and a posterior division.
Immediately beneath the base of the skull, the nerve gives off from its medial side a recurrent branch (nervus spinosus) and the nerve to the medial pterygoid muscle, and then divides into two trunks, an anterior and a posterior.
[edit] Branches
The mandibular nerve gives off the following branches:
- From the main trunk of the nerve (before the division)
- nervus spinosus (meningeal branch)
- medial pterygoid nerve
- From the anterior division
- masseteric nerve
- deep temporal nerves (anterior and posterior)
- buccal nerve (a sensory nerve)
- lateral pterygoid nerve
- From the posterior division
The mandibular nerve also gives off branches to the otic ganglion
[edit] Supplies
The mandibular nerve innervates:
- mucous membrane of the anterior two-thirds of the tongue
- the inside of the cheek (the buccal mucosa)
- teeth and gums of the mandible
- skin of the temporal region
- auricula
- lower lip, and chin
- muscles of mastication
- the muscles tensor tympani and tensor veli palatini
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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