Fig. 782 -
Mandibular Division of
Trifacial Nerve , seen from the middle line. The small figure is an enlarged view of the
Otic Ganglion .]]
The is the third branch (V
3) of the '''
Trigeminal Nerve '''. It exits the cranial fossa (at the base of the
Skull ) through the
Foramen Ovale .
It conveys sensation from the lower
Teeth ,
Mandible as well as the lower lip, cheek and chin. It also supplies part of the
Tongue as well as the inside of the cheek (the buccal mucosa).
It runs into the mandible via the
Mandibular Foramen where it becomes the
Inferior Alveolar Nerve . The inferior alveolar nerve carries sensation from the teeth of the lower jaw and their surrounding soft tissue.
The mandibular nerve (inferior maxillary nerve) supplies the teeth and gums of the
Mandible , the skin of the temporal region, the
Auricula , the lower lip, the lower part of the face, and the
Muscles Of Mastication ; it also supplies the
Mucous Membrane of the anterior two-thirds of the
Tongue .
It is the largest of the three divisions of the fifth, and is made up of two roots: a large, sensory root proceeding from the inferior angle of the
Semilunar Ganglion , and 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 .
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
Pterygoideus Internus , and then divides into two trunks, an anterior and a posterior.
