Quick Facts
Origin: Facial artery.
Course: Passes anteriorly under the chin.
Branches: None.
Supplied Structures: Digastric, genioglossus, hyoglossus, mylohyoid, and platysma muscles, skin of the chin and lower lip.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The submental artery is the largest cervical branch arising from the facial artery.
Course
As the facial artery leaves the submandibular gland, it gives off the submental artery. The submental artery passes anteriorly, passing over the mylohyoid muscle and deep to the anterior belly of the digastric muscle. It ascends over the mandible at the chin.
Branches
There are no named branches.
Supplied Structures
The submental artery supplies the anterior belly of the digastric muscle and the overlying platysma muscle and skin. It forms an anastomosis with the sublingual branch of the lingual artery and the mylohyoid branch of the inferior alveolar artery, which provide arterial supply to the genioglossus, hyoglossus, and mylohyoid muscles. Additionally, the terminal branches of the submental artery anastomosis with the inferior labial artery and mental branch of the inferior alveolar artery, thus, supplying the chin and lower lip (Standring, 2016).
References
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41 edn.: Elsevier Limited.
