Quick Facts
Origin: Inferior alveolar nerve.
Course: Runs through the mental foramen to reach the anterior superficial surface of the mandible.
Branches: Mental, inferior labial, and inferior gingival branches.
Supply: Conveys general sense fibers from the skin of the chin, and both the skin and mucosal surfaces of the lower lip. It also innervates the labial gingiva of the mandibular incisors and canines.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The mental nerve originates as one of two terminal branches of the inferior alveolar nerve. As the inferior alveolar nerve splits deep to the mental foramen, it gives rise to the mental nerve which runs superficially, and the incisive branch, which remains in the substance of the mandible.
Its sensory fibers have cell bodies located in the trigeminal ganglion.
Course
The mental nerve runs anteriorly through the mental foramen to reach the anterior surface of the mandible where it splits into branches to the chin and lower labia.
Branches
The mental nerve gives rise to three branches, the mental, inferior labial, and gingival branches.
Supplied Structures
The mental nerve conveys general sense fibers from the skin of the chin and lower lip, as well as the mucosa lining of the lower lip and the labial gingiva of the mandibular incisors and canines.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Mental Nerve
The mental nerve is the terminal branch of the IAN and emerges from the mental foramen.
