Mastication (Chewing) is the first stage of digestion of food. Muscles of Mastication helps in grinding the food to make them small in size in the oral cavity.
Grinding the food is very important, it makes the food smaller in size. Smaller the size of the particle will increase the surface area. This food can then be swallowed with ease and further chymified with the help of enzymes as it moves along the alimentary canal.
Many different structures like Teeth, Bone (Mandible and maxilla) and muscles like tongue and masticatory muscles work together to enable a person to chew the food.
Embryologically, the muscles of mastication are developed from the first pharyngeal arch.
There are many muscles which help in mastication. First, we will discuss primary muscles which are as follow:
There are some other muscles that help in mastication. Their names are as follows.
Now, in this article, we will know about the Anatomy, attachment innervation and action of these muscles individually.
It is the strongest in all muscles. Masseter muscle is quadrangular in shape, and it can be divided into two parts: Deep and Superficial.
The masseter muscle is innervated by Messetric Nerve derived from the mandibular division of the Trigeminal nerve.
Vascular supply from the masseteric branch of the maxillary artery.
Temporalis Muscle is the fan-shaped muscles originated from temporal fossa of the skull. It is a large muscle which covers the temporal bone of the skull. The primary function of this muscle is to elevate the mandible.
The inferior temporal line across the entire temporal fossa, including parts of the parietal and most of the squama of the temporal bones.
As a tendon on Coronoid Process of the mandible.
Vascular supply of the Temporalis Muscle is via branches of the superficial temporal and maxillary arteries.
Anterior and posterior deep Temporal nerve from mandibular division of trigeminal nerve.
The Lateral Pterygoid Muscle has two heads of origin, smaller Superior head, and larger inferior head.
At the neck of the mandible and various structures of the TMJ.
Branch of the buccal nerve from the mandibular division of the trigeminal
nerve.
Pterygoid branch of the maxillary artery.
The Medial Pterygoid Muscle is the deepest situated muscle of mastication.
Deep head of lateral pterygoid plate and maxillary tuberosity
In the medial angle of the mandible
Mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve
Pterygoid branch of the 2nd part of maxillary artery
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