Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Muscles of Mastication
Control of mandibular movements
A series of sequential diagrams
created by
Professor John McGeachie
for the Orientation Course
July 2004
Muscles of Mastication
Clinical significance
-Normal function of the masticatory apparatus
-Dysfunction and difficulty in diagnosis
-Muscle-specific pathological conditions
Note: most conditions are due to masticatory
problems, often related to occlusal and TMJ
dysharmony - as mentioned in the TMJ lecture
Muscles of Mastication
Commonly accepted muscles
Masseter
Temporalis
Medial pterygoid
Lateral pterygoid
Muscles of Mastication
Major muscles - Masseter
Attachments
Origin - a narrow attachment on the
zygomatic arch
Insertion - a broad attachment - many
times the surface area of the origin - on
the mandibular ramus
Muscles of Mastication
Muscles of Mastication
Lateral Pterygoid
Attachments
Origin - Lateral surface of lateral pterygoid
plate &
- Roof of the infratemporal fossa
Insertion - Mandibular condyle - in the
fovea on the antero-medial surface &
- the TMJ disc & capsule (10%)
The control
of
mandibular
movements
Control of mandibular
movements
This is much more complex than simply
considering the action of each muscle
One must approach this from a
reflex arc system
Control of mandibular
movements
Elements of a reflex arc
Sensory input
CNS processing
Motor output
Control of mandibular
movements
Sensory input = proprioception
Receptors
Receptor fields
Transmission to the CNS
Control of mandibular
movements
Sensory input - proprioception
Receptors:
Muscle spindles = stretch receptors
Tendon organs = high threshold receptors
Pressure receptors (Meissners corpuscles)
Naked nerve endings - non specific
Control of mandibular
movements
Sensory input - proprioception
Receptor fields
Covers all regions involved in mastication
Oral mucosa = huge surface area
Teeth and peridental ligaments = huge area
TMJs, capsules and associated ligaments
Muscles of mastication - both sides = huge mass
Muscles of mastication
Nervous reflexes
via the
Mesencephalic nucleus
Myotatic reflex
Muscles of mastication
Diagram set up and outline
Posterior view of the mandible
& hyoid bone
with the brain stem above
Brain stem
very
simplified
condyle
Zygomatic
arch
condyle
Mandible
Hyoid bone
Mylohyoid &
Digastric-anterior
Lateral
Pterygoids
Medial
Pterygoids
Masseters
Temporalis
Trigeminal
ganglion
MCN
V
MN
V
Sensory input
via spindles
Mesencephalic
Nucleus of V
Motor
Nucleus of V
MCN
V
MN
V
Motor output
via motor nerves
Principal
Nucleus of V
Bilateral
response
Sensory
integration
MCN - V
integration
Motor
Integration
Reticular
formation
Reticular
integration
Reticular
formation
To other
Motor nuclei
Masticatory reflexes
Physiological aspects
further information
Please read Professor Timothy Miles notes
on Mastication
Chapter 5 Pages 40 - 49
Muscles of Mastication
The end