The lateral pterygoid nerve (or external pterygoid nerve) is a branch of the anterior division of the mandibular nerve. It usually originates as two separate branches that travel near the

buccal nerve The buccal nerve (long buccal nerve) is a nerve in the face. It is a branch of the mandibular nerve (which is itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve) and transmits sensory information from skin over the buccal membrane (in general, the cheek) an ...

, and enter the deep surfaces of the superior and inferior heads of the

lateral pterygoid muscle The lateral pterygoid muscle (or external pterygoid muscle) is a muscle of mastication. It has two heads. It lies superior to the medial pterygoid muscle. It is supplied by pterygoid branches of the maxillary artery, and the lateral pterygoid ne ...

Nerve pathway

trigeminal nerve In neuroanatomy, the trigeminal nerve ( lit. ''triplet'' nerve), also known as the fifth cranial nerve, cranial nerve V, or simply CN V, is a cranial nerve responsible for sensation in the face and motor functions such as biting and chew ...

(CN V) * mandibular nerve (V3) * anterior division of mandibular nerve

Variation

Some authors describe the lateral pterygoid nerve as a single branch of the anterior division of the mandibular nerve which then bifurcates to enter the two heads of the lateral pterygoid muscle.

References

Mandibular nerve {{Neuroanatomy-stub