Anatomical relationship of the temporobuccal branch of the mandibular nerve

RESUMO

The anatomical relationships of the temporobuccal branch of the mandibular nerve were examined in 20 hemi-heads from embalmed adult human cadavers. The temporobuccal nerve emerged from the mandibular nerve, passed between the two hemi-heads of the lateral pterygoid muscle, and exited laterally before entering the temporal muscle. During this trajectory, the nerve branched to the lateral pterygoid and temporal muscles. From the region of the temporal muscle, many nerve branches extended to the buccinator muscle, one branch passed to the masseter and several others to went the anterior facial region where all of these nerves anastomosed with buccal branches of the facial nerve. The descending trajectory of the temporobuccal nerve into the lateral pterygoid and temporal muscles, and the subsequent anastomose with buccal ramifications of the facial nerve, were apparent in all dissections.