Quick Facts
The gingival nerves relay sensory information to the central nervous system.
Anatomical Relations
The palatal gingiva of the maxilla receives innervation from the greater palatine nerve, while the buccal gingiva of the maxilla receives innervation from branches of the posterior superior alveolar nerve and the buccal nerve (Standring, 2016).
The buccal gingiva of the mandible receives innervation from the buccal nerve and perforating branches of the inferior alveolar nerve, while the lingual gingiva is innervated by the lingual nerve and perforating branches of the inferior alveolar nerve (Standring, 2016).
Function
These nerves are responsible for relaying sensory information, for example pain, from the gingiva.
References
Hand, A. R. and Frank, M. E. (2015) Fundamentals of Oral Histology and Physiology. Wiley.
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41 edn.: Elsevier Limited.
