Anatomy, Head and Neck, Lingual Nerve

Excerpt

The lingual nerve is a sensory nerve that arises from the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V). The lingual nerve is often in a common stem with the inferior alveolar nerve after the mandibular division enters the infratemporal fossa through the foramen ovale . The lingual nerve separates from the inferior alveolar nerve and then descends anteriorly into the oral cavity. It travels adjacent to the medial surface of the mandibular ramus in the third molar region. As it does so, it innervates the mucous membrane of the anterior two-thirds of the tongue, the floor of the oral cavity, and the adjacent lingual gingiva . Understanding the anatomy of the lingual nerve is crucial for performing safe surgical procedures in its area of distribution, mainly when extracting impacted mandibular third molars, as lingual nerve injury is one of the most serious complications of this procedure .