Quick Facts
Origin: Facial nerve.
Course: Runs a short distance anteriorly and inferiorly before dividing.
Branches: Buccal, marginal mandibular, and cervical branches.
Supply: Motor innervation to the muscles of facial expression at or below the upper maxilla.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The inferior division of the facial nerve originates where the main facial nerve trunk splits. This generally occurs lateral to the styloid process, anterior and inferior to the external acoustic meatus.
Course
The inferior division of the facial nerve runs anteriorly and inferiorly a variable distance before it too divides.
Branches
The inferior division of the facial nerve divides to form the buccal, mandibular, and cervical branches.
Supplied Structures
The inferior division of the facial nerve is a motor nerve. It sends branchial motor efferent fibers to the muscles of facial expression of the lower half of the face and neck.
The fibers that run via the buccal branches will innervate the levator labii superioris, levator labii superioris alaeque nasi, risorius, buccinator, nasalis, depressor septi, depressor anguli oris, levator anguli oris, zygomaticus major, and zygomaticus minor muscles.
The fibers that run via the marginal mandibular branch will innervate the orbicularis oris, depressor anguli oris, depressor labii inferioris, and mentalis muscles.
The fibers that run via the cervical branch will innervate the platysma muscle.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Facial Nerve
The facial nerve is the main motor pathway for the corneal and palpebral reflexes.
