Mandibular nerve

Mandibular nerve
Mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve.
Mandibular division of trigeminal nerve, seen from the middle line. The small figure is an enlarged view of the otic ganglion.
Details
From	Trigeminal nerve
Identifiers
Latin	Nervus mandibularis
MeSH	A08.800.800.120.760.500
Dorlands /Elsevier	n_05/12566125
TA	A14.2.01.064
FMA	52996
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

The mandibular nerve (V₃) is the largest of the three divisions of the trigeminal nerve, the fifth cranial nerve (CN V).

Structure

The large sensory root emerges from the lateral part of the trigeminal ganglion and exits the cranial cavity through the foramen ovale. The small motor root of the trigeminal nerve passes under the ganglion and through the foramen ovale to unite with the sensory root just outside the skull.

The mandibular nerve immediately passes between tensor veli palatini, which is medial, and lateral pterygoid, which is lateral, and gives off a meningeal branch (nervus spinosus) and the nerve to medial pterygoid from its medial side. The nerve then divides into a small anterior and large posterior trunk.

The anterior division gives off branches to the four main muscles of mastication and a buccal branch which is sensory to the cheek. The posterior division gives off three main sensory branches, the auriculotemporal, lingual and inferior alveolar nerves and motor fibres to supply mylohyoid and the anterior belly of the digastric muscle.

Branches

The mandibular nerve gives off the following branches:

• From the main trunk of the nerve (before the division)
  • muscular branches, which are efferent nerves for the medial pterygoid, tensor tympani, and tensor veli palatini muscles (motor)^[1]
  • meningeal branch (a sensory nerve)
• From the anterior division
  • masseteric nerve(motor)
  • deep temporal nerves, anterior and posterior (motor)
  • buccal nerve (a sensory nerve)
  • lateral pterygoid nerve (motor)
• From the posterior division
  • auriculotemporal nerve (a sensory nerve)
  • lingual nerve (a sensory nerve)
  • inferior alveolar nerve (a motor nerve and a sensory nerve - gives off the nerve to mylohyoid (a motor nerve, also supplies the anterior belly of digastric)

Supplies

The mandibular nerve innervates:

Anterior Division:

(Motor Innervation - Muscles of mastication)

• Masseteric nerve
  • Masseter
• Medial pterygoid nerve
  • Medial Pterygoid
  • Tensor Tympani
  • Tensor Veli Palatini Nerve
    • Tensor Veli Palatini
• Lateral pterygoid nerve
  • Lateral pterygoid
• Deep temporal nerve
  • Temporalis

(Sensory Innervation)

• Buccal nerve
  • Inside of the Cheek (buccal mucosa)

Posterior Division

Lingual Split
(Sensory Innervation - NOT Taste)

• Anterior 2/3 of Tongue (mucous membrane)

Inferior Alveolar Split
(Motor Innervation)

• Mylohyoid
• Digastric (Anterior Belly)

(Sensory Innervation)

• Teeth and Mucoperiosteum of mandibular teeth
• Chin and Lower Lip

Auriculotemporal Split

• Scalp (auricula / temporal region)

See also

• Ophthalmic nerve
• Maxillary nerve
• Marginal mandibular branch of facial nerve

Additional images

• 

  Dermatome distribution of the trigeminal nerve

• 

  The nerves of the scalp, face, and side of neck.

• 

  Mandibular nerve

• 

  Mandibular nerve

References

1. Illustrated Anatomy of the Head and Neck, Fehrenbach and Herring, Elsevier, 2012, page 181

External links

• MedEd at Loyola GrossAnatomy/h_n/cn/cn1/cnb3.htm
• Anatomy figure: 27:03-02 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center
• cranialnerves at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (V)