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ANATOMY - RACDS

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

Major muscles - Temporalis


Origin - whole of temporal surface of the
cranium & the temporal fascia
Insertion - coronoid process of mandible right down to retromolar fossa - medially

Muscles of Mastication

Major muscles - Medial Pterygoid


Attachments
Origin - Medial surface of lateral pterygoid
plate & pterygoid fossa
- Posterior surface of maxillary
tuberosity
Insertion - Medial lower surface of
mandibular ramus

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


Muscle spindle
TS of a spindle
at high power
Photograph taken
from John McGeachies
research slides

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

Control of mandibular movements


Remember
Most of this movement is not cortical
but
Occurs at a sub-cortical level in the brain
stem by patterns of motor reflex activity

Muscles of mastication
Nervous reflexes
via the
Mesencephalic nucleus

Myotatic reflex

drawn by John McGeachie


This diagram is in the lecture book - page 104

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

Posterior view showing


Pterygoid plates above

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

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