The lateral pterygoid muscle (or external pterygoid muscle) is a muscle of

mastication Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion, and it increases the surface area of foods to allow a more efficient break down by enzymes. During the mastication process, th ...

. It has two heads. It lies superior to the

medial pterygoid muscle The medial pterygoid muscle (or internal pterygoid muscle), is a thick, quadrilateral muscle of the face. It is supplied by the mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve (V). It is important in mastication (chewing). Structure The medial ptery ...

. It is supplied by pterygoid branches of the

maxillary artery The maxillary artery supplies deep structures of the face. It branches from the external carotid artery just deep to the neck of the mandible. Structure The maxillary artery, the larger of the two terminal branches of the external carotid artery ...

, and the

lateral pterygoid nerve The lateral pterygoid nerve (or external pterygoid nerve) is a branch of the anterior division of the mandibular nerve. It usually originates as two separate branches that travel near the buccal nerve, and enter the deep surfaces of the superior ...

(from the mandibular nerve, CN V₃). It depresses and protrudes 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 tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

. When each muscle works independently, they can move the mandible side to side.

Structure

The lateral pterygoid muscle has an upper head and a lower head. * The upper head originates on the infratemporal surface and infratemporal crest of the greater wing of the

sphenoid bone The sphenoid bone is an unpaired bone of the neurocranium. It is situated in the middle of the skull towards the front, in front of the basilar part of occipital bone, basilar part of the occipital bone. The sphenoid bone is one of the seven bones ...

. It inserts onto the

articular disc The articular disk (or disc) is a thin, oval plate of fibrocartilage present in several joints which separates synovial cavities. This separation of the cavity space allows for separate movements to occur in each space. The presence of an articula ...

and fibrous capsule of the

temporomandibular joint In anatomy, the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) are the two joints connecting the jawbone to the skull. It is a bilateral synovial articulation between the temporal bone of the skull above and the mandible below; it is from these bones that it ...

. * The lower head originates on the lateral surface of the

lateral pterygoid plate The pterygoid processes of the sphenoid (from Greek ''pteryx'', ''pterygos'', "wing"), one on either side, descend perpendicularly from the regions where the body and the greater wings of the sphenoid bone unite. Each process consists of a me ...

. It inserts onto the

pterygoid fovea The pterygoid fovea (occasionally called the pterygoid pit or the pterygoid depression) is located on the mandible. It is a concave surface on the medial side of the neck of the condyloid process of the mandible. It is located posterior to the m ...

at the neck of the

condyloid process The condyloid process or condylar process is the process on the human and other mammalian species' mandibles that ends in a condyle, the mandibular condyle. It is thicker than the coronoid process of the mandible and consists of two portions: the ...

of the

. It lies superior to the

Blood supply

The lateral pterygoid muscle is supplied by pterygoid branches of the

Nerve supply

The lateral pterygoid muscle is supplied by the

, a branch of the mandibular nerve (CN V₃), itself a branch of the

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

(CN V).

Function

The primary function of the lateral pterygoid muscle is to pull the head of the condyle out of the

mandibular fossa The mandibular fossa, also known as the glenoid fossa in some dental literature, is the depression in the temporal bone that articulates with the mandible. Structure In the temporal bone, the mandibular fossa is bounded anteriorly by the art ...

along the articular eminence to protrude the

. A concerted effort of the lateral pterygoid muscles helps in lowering the mandible and opening the jaw. Unilateral action of a lateral pterygoid muscle causes contralateral excursion (a form of

), usually performed in concert with the medial pterygoids. When they work independently, they can move the mandible side to side. Unlike the other three muscles of mastication, the lateral pterygoid alone can assist in depressing the mandible (opening the jaw). At the beginning of this action it is assisted by the

digastric The digastric muscle (also digastricus) (named ''digastric'' as it has two 'bellies') is a small muscle located under the jaw. The term "digastric muscle" refers to this specific muscle. However, other muscles that have two separate muscle belli ...

, mylohyoid and

geniohyoid The geniohyoid muscle is a narrow muscle situated superior to the medial border of the mylohyoid muscle. It is named for its passage from the chin ("genio-" is a standard prefix for "chin") to the hyoid bone. Structure It arises from the inf ...

muscles.

Clinical significance

The lateral pterygoid muscle may be involved in

temporomandibular joint dysfunction Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD, TMJD) is an umbrella term covering pain and dysfunction of the muscles of mastication (the muscles that move the jaw) and the temporomandibular joints (the joints which connect the mandible to the sku ...

Additional images

File:Gray146.png, Sphenoid bone. Anterior and inferior surfaces. File:Gray177.png, Mandible. Inner surface. Side view. File:Gray510.png, Plan of branches of internal maxillary artery. File:Gray778.png, Distribution of the maxillary and mandibular nerves, and the submaxillary ganglion.

References

External links

* () * *
Cross section at tufts.edu
{{Authority control Muscles of the head and neck