Mental nerve - Cranial nerves - Mandibular nerve; Mandibular division [Vc; V3] - e-Anatomy
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Mental nerve

Nervus mentalis

Definition

The mental nerve is a terminal branch of the inferior alveolar nerve that exits the mental foramen and innervates the skin over the lower lip and the chin region.

The inferior alveolar nerve passes through the mandibular foramen to run inside the mandibular canal within the ramus and body of mandible, where it innervates the teeth in the lower jaw bone. The nerve splits into two terminal branches, the mental and incisive nerves. The mental nerve exits the mental foramen to provide sensory innervation to the skin over the mental region (lower lip and chin), whereas the incisive nerve continues to travel anteriorly inside the mandibular canal and provides sensory innervation to the first premolar, canine and incisor teeth, along with the associated gingival mucosa.

References

Text written by Muhammad A. Javaid, MD, PhD © 2022 IMAIOS.

  • Drake, R.L., Vogl, A.W. and Mitchell, A.W.M. (2009). ‘Chapter 8: Head and Neck’ in Gray’s anatomy for Students. (2nd ed.) Philadelphia PA 19103-2899: Elsevier, pp. 935.

  • Ghatak, R.N., Helwany, M. and Ginglen, J.G. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Mandibular Nerve. [Updated 2022 May 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507820/

  • Fillmore, E.P. and Seifert, M.F. (2015). ‘Chapter 22-Anatomy of the Trigeminal Nerve’, in Nerves and Nerve Injuries. Editor(s): Tubbs, R.S., Rizk, E., Shoja, M.M., Loukas, M., Barbaro, N. and Spinner, R.J. Academic Press, pp. 332. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-410390-0.00023-8

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