Muscles of mastication
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Gaillard F, Jones J, Fahrenhorst-Jones T, et al. Muscles of mastication. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 20 Jan 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-1701
rID:
1701
Article created:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Frank Gaillard had no recorded disclosures.
View Frank Gaillard's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Jeremy Jones had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Jeremy Jones's current disclosures
Revisions:
12 times, by
9 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
Tags:
Synonyms:
- Masticator muscles
- Muscle of mastication
- Primary muscle of mastication
- Secondary muscle of mastication
The muscles of mastication can be divided into primary and secondary groups according to whether they connect the mandible directly to the skull or if they attach to other structures in the neck, e.g. hyoid, thyroid cartilage.
On this page:
Primary
Secondary
-
mylohyoid muscle (oral diaphragm)
buccinator muscle is sometimes also classed as a muscle of mastication
Action
-
close
temporalis muscle
masseter muscle
medial pterygoid muscle
-
open
lateral pterygoid muscle
-
anterior translation
masseter muscle (posterior fibers)
medial pterygoid muscle
lateral pterygoid muscle
-
posterior translation
temporalis muscle (posterior fibers)
References
- 1. Chummy S. Sinnatamby. Last's Anatomy. (2018) ISBN: 9780702033940
- 2. Carmine D. Clemente. Anatomy. (2019) ISBN: 9781609133085
- 3. Tomas X, Pomes J, Berenguer J et al. MR Imaging of Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction: A Pictorial Review. Radiographics. 2006;26(3):765-81. doi:10.1148/rg.263055091 - Pubmed
- 4. Walter F. Thumfart. Surgical Approaches in Otorhinolaryngology. (1999) ISBN: 9783131165916
Incoming Links
Articles:
- Buccolabial muscles
- Temporalis muscle
- Trigeminal nerve
- Edentulism
- Deep spaces of the head and neck
- Facial muscles
- Motor nucleus of the trigeminal nerve
- Masticatory muscle hypertrophy
- Sphenomandibular ligament
- Masticator space
- Branchial apparatus
- Medial pterygoid muscle
- Masseter muscle
- Lateral pterygoid muscle
- Buccinator muscle
Cases:
- Unilateral masticatory muscles hypertrophy
- Unilateral masticatory muscles hypertrophy
- Masticatory muscle hypertrophy
- Trigeminal amyloidoma
- Muscles of mastication (Gray's illustration)
- Unilateral masticatory muscles atrophy
- Unilateral masseter and pterygoid hypertrophy
- Peritonsillar and neck cellulitis - Lemierre syndrome
Related articles: Anatomy: Head and neck
- skeleton of the head and neck
-
cranial vault
- scalp (mnemonic)
- fontanelle
-
sutures
- calvarial
- facial
- frontozygomatic suture
- frontomaxillary suture
- frontolacrimal suture
- frontonasal suture
- temporozygomatic suture
- zygomaticomaxillary suture
- parietotemporal suture (parietomastoid suture)
- occipitotemporal suture (occipitomastoid suture)
- sphenofrontal suture
- sphenozygomatic suture
- spheno-occipital suture (not a true suture)
- lacrimomaxillary suture
- nasomaxillary suture
- internasal suture
- basal/internal
- skull landmarks
- frontal bone
- temporal bone
- parietal bone
- occipital bone
- skull base (foramina)
-
facial bones
- midline single bones
- paired bilateral bones
- cervical spine
- hyoid bone
- laryngeal cartilages
-
cranial vault
- muscles of the head and neck
- muscles of the tongue (mnemonic)
- muscles of mastication
-
facial muscles
- epicranius muscle
- circumorbital and palpebral muscles
- nasal muscles
-
buccolabial muscles
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- levator labii superioris alaeque nasalis muscle
- levator labii superioris muscle
- zygomaticus major muscle
- zygomaticus minor muscle
- levator anguli oris muscle
- malaris muscle
- risorius muscle
- depressors, retractors and evertors of the lower lip
- depressor labii inferioris muscle
- depressor anguli oris muscle
- mentalis muscle
- compound sphincter
-
orbicularis oris muscle
- incisivus labii superioris muscle
- incisivus labii inferioris muscle
-
orbicularis oris muscle
- muscle of mastication
- modiolus
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- muscles of the middle ear
- orbital muscles
- muscles of the soft palate
- pharyngeal muscles
- suprahyoid muscles
- infrahyoid muscles
- intrinsic muscles of the larynx
- muscles of the neck
- platysma muscle
- longus colli muscle
- longus capitis muscle
- scalenus anterior muscle
- scalenus medius muscle
- scalenus posterior muscle
- scalenus pleuralis muscle
- sternocleidomastoid muscle
-
suboccipital muscles
- rectus capitis posterior major muscle
- rectus capitis posterior minor muscle
- obliquus capitis superior muscle
- obliquus capitis inferior muscle
- accessory muscles of the neck
- deep cervical fascia
-
deep spaces of the neck
- anterior cervical space
- buccal space
- carotid space
- danger space
- deep cervical fascia
- infratemporal fossa
- masticator space
- parapharyngeal space
- stylomandibular tunnel
- parotid space
- pharyngeal (superficial) mucosal space
- perivertebral space
- posterior cervical space
- pterygopalatine fossa
- retropharyngeal space
- suprasternal space (of Burns)
- visceral space
- surgical triangles of the neck
- orbit
- ear
- paranasal sinuses
- upper respiratory tract
- viscera of the neck
- blood supply of the head and neck
-
arterial supply
-
common carotid artery
- carotid body
- carotid bifurcation
- subclavian artery
- variants
-
common carotid artery
- venous drainage
-
arterial supply
- innervation of the head and neck
-
cranial nerves
- olfactory nerve (CN I)
- optic nerve (CN II)
- oculomotor nerve (CN III)
- trochlear nerve (CN IV)
-
trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
- trigeminal ganglion
- ophthalmic division
- maxillary division
- mandibular division
- abducens nerve (CN VI)
- facial nerve (CN VII)
-
vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
- vestibular ganglion (Scarpa's ganglion)
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
- vagus nerve (CN X)
- (spinal) accessory nerve (CN XI)
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
- parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck
- cervical sympathetic ganglia
- greater occipital nerve
- third occipital nerve
-
cervical plexus
- muscular branches
- longus capitis
- longus colli
- scalenes
- geniohyoid
- thyrohyoid
-
ansa cervicalis
- omohyoid (superior and inferior bellies separately)
- sternothyroid
- sternohyoid
- phrenic nerve
- contribution to the accessory nerve (CN XI)
- cutaneous branches
- muscular branches
- brachial plexus
- pharyngeal plexus
-
cranial nerves
- lymphatic drainage of the head and neck
- embryological development of the head and neck