The buccal nerve (long buccal nerve) is a

nerve A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system. A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the ...

in the face. It is a branch of the

mandibular nerve In neuroanatomy, the mandibular nerve (V) is the largest of the three divisions of the trigeminal nerve, the fifth cranial nerve (CN V). Unlike the other divisions of the trigeminal nerve ( ophthalmic nerve, maxillary nerve) which contain only ...

(which is itself a branch of the

trigeminal nerve In neuroanatomy, the trigeminal nerve (literal translation, lit. ''triplet'' nerve), also known as the fifth cranial nerve, cranial nerve V, or simply CN V, is a cranial nerve responsible for Sense, sensation in the face and motor functions ...

) and transmits sensory information from

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...

over the buccal membrane (in general, the

cheek The cheeks ( la, buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the insi ...

) and from the second and third molar

teeth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, te ...

. Not to be confused with the buccal branch of the

facial nerve The facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve, cranial nerve VII, or simply CN VII, is a cranial nerve that emerges from the pons of the brainstem, controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of ta ...

which transmits motor information to the buccinator muscle.

Structure

The buccal nerve courses between the two heads of the

lateral pterygoid muscle The lateral pterygoid muscle (or external pterygoid muscle) is a muscle of mastication. It has two heads. It lies superior to the medial pterygoid muscle. It is supplied by pterygoid branches of the maxillary artery, and the lateral pterygoid ne ...

, underneath the

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

of the

temporalis muscle In anatomy, the temporalis muscle, also known as the temporal muscle, is one of the muscles of mastication (chewing). It is a broad, fan-shaped convergent muscle on each side of the head that fills the temporal fossa, superior to the zygomatic ...

. It then runs under the

masseter muscle In human anatomy, the masseter is one of the muscles of mastication. Found only in mammals, it is particularly powerful in herbivores to facilitate chewing of plant matter. The most obvious muscle of mastication is the masseter muscle, since it ...

, anterior to the ramus of the mandible. It connects with the

buccal branches of the facial nerve The buccal branches of the facial nerve (infraorbital branches), are of larger size than the rest of the branches, pass horizontally forward to be distributed below the orbit and around the mouth. Branches The ''superficial branches'' run beneath ...

on the surface of the buccinator muscle. It gives off many significant branches.

Relations

The

(CN VII) also has buccal branches, which carry motor innervation to the buccinator muscle, a muscle of facial expression. This follows from the trigeminal (V3) supplying all muscles of mastication and the facial (VII) supplying all muscles of facial expression.

Function

Small branches of the buccal nerve innervate the

. It also gives sensory branches to the

Clinical significance

Anesthesia

Buccal nerve block (long buccal nerve block) is indicated for procedures involving the mucosa adjacent to the posterior molar teeth, such as the placement of a rubber dam clamp. The injection site is distal and buccal to the third molar, with the needle penetrating 1-2mm as the nerve lies directly below the mucosa. A buccal nerve block is carried out after an

inferior alveolar nerve block Inferior alveolar nerve block (abbreviated to IANB, and also termed inferior alveolar nerve anesthesia or inferior dental block) is a nerve block technique which induces anesthesia (numbness) in the areas of the mouth and face innervated by one of ...

for specific procedures, such as extraction of mandibular molar teeth.

Surgical damage

The buccal nerve may be damaged by surgical incisions near the external oblique ridge of the

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bon ...

Additional images

File:Gray790.png, The nerves of the scalp, face, and side of neck. File:Slide2pav.JPG, Infaorbital and buccal nerve.Superficial dissection.Lateral view.

References

* "Nerve, buccal." ''Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 27th ed.'' (2000). * ''Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice.'' (2005). ;Specific

External links

* * * () * () {{Authority control Mandibular nerve