The inferior labial artery (inferior labial branch of facial artery) arises near the angle of the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

as a branch of the

facial artery The facial artery (external maxillary artery in older texts) is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies structures of the superficial face. Structure The facial artery arises in the carotid triangle from the external carotid arte ...

; it passes upward and forward beneath the triangularis and, penetrating the

orbicularis oris In human anatomy, the orbicularis oris muscle is a complex of muscles in the lips that encircles the mouth. It is a sphincter, or circular muscle, but it is actually composed of four independent quadrants that interlace and give only an appearance ...

, runs in a tortuous course along the edge of the lower lip between this muscle and the mucous membrane. It supplies the

labial glands The labial glands are minor salivary glands situated between the mucous membrane and the orbicularis oris around the orifice of the mouth. They are circular in form, and about the size of small peas; their ducts open by minute orifices upon the mu ...

, the

mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It is ...

, and the muscles of the

lower lip The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

; and anastomoses with the artery of the opposite side, and with the mental branch of the

inferior alveolar artery The inferior alveolar artery (inferior dental artery) is an artery of the face. It is a branch of the first portion of the maxillary artery. Structure It descends with the inferior alveolar nerve to the mandibular foramen on the medial surface of ...

Additional images

File:Lateral head anatomy detail.jpg, Lateral head anatomy detail File:Head ap anatomy.jpg, Head anatomy anterior view File:Slide2bbb.JPG, Inferior labial artery

References

External links

* - "Superficial arteries of the face." * http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humananatomy/figures/chapter_47/47-5.HTM Arteries of the head and neck {{circulatory-stub