Buccal nerve

Infobox Nerve
Name = PAGENAME
Latin = nervus buccalis
GraySubject = 200
GrayPage = 895

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Caption = Sensory areas of the head, showing the general distribution of the three divisions of the fifth nerve. (Buccal nerve labeled at center left.)

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Caption2 = Mandibular division of the trifacial nerve.
Innervates = lateral pterygoid muscle, cheek
BranchFrom = mandibular nerve
BranchTo =
MeshName =
MeshNumber =
DorlandsPre = n_05
DorlandsSuf = 12565268
The buccal nerve is a nerve in the face. It is a branch of the mandibular nerve (which is itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve) and transmits sensory information from skin over the buccal membrane (in general, the cheek) and from the second and third molar teeth.

Course

It courses between the two heads of the lateral pterygoid muscle, underneath the tendon of the temporalis muscle, and then under the masseter muscle to connect with the buccal branches of the facial nerve on the surface of the buccinator muscle.

Target

Small branches of the buccal nerve innervate the lateral pterygoid muscle. It also gives sensory branches to the cheek.

Related nerves

The facial nerve (CN VII) also has buccal branches, which carry motor innervation to the buccinator muscle, a muscle of facial expression. This should not be confused with the buccal branch of the trigeminal nerve, which supplies motor innervation to the lateral pterygoid, a muscle of mastication. This follows from the trigeminal (V3) supplying all muscles of mastication and the facial (VII) supplying all muscles of facial expression.

=Additional

References

* "Nerve, buccal." Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 27th ed. (2000). ISBN 0-683-40007-X
* Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. (2005). ISBN 0-443-07168-3

External links

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* (NormanAnatomyFig|mandibularnerve)
* (NormanAnatomyFig|V)