The inferior labial artery (inferior labial branch of facial artery) arises near the angle of the
mouth
A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...
as a branch of the
facial artery
The facial artery, formerly called the external maxillary artery, is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies blood to superficial structures of the medial regions of the face.
Structure
The facial artery arises in the carotid t ...
; it passes upward and forward beneath the
triangularis and, penetrating the
orbicularis oris
In human anatomy, the orbicularis oris muscle is a complex of muscles in the lips that encircles the mouth.
It is not a true sphincter, as was once thought, as it is actually composed of four independent quadrants that interlace and give only an a ...
, runs in a tortuous course along the edge of the lower lip between this muscle and the mucous membrane.
It supplies the
labial glands, the
mucous membrane
A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It ...
, and the muscles of the
lower lip
The lips are a horizontal pair of soft appendages attached to the jaws and are the most visible part of the mouth of many animals, including humans. Mammal lips are soft, movable and serve to facilitate the ingestion of food (e.g. sucklin ...
; and anastomoses with the artery of the opposite side, and with the mental branch of the
inferior alveolar artery.
Additional images
File:Lateral head anatomy detail.jpg, Lateral head anatomy detail
File:Head ap anatomy.jpg, Head anatomy anterior view
File:Slide2bbb.JPG, Inferior labial artery
References
External links
* - "Superficial arteries of the face."
* http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humananatomy/figures/chapter_47/47-5.HTM
Arteries of the head and neck
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