1. TEMPORAL AND INFRATEMPORAL
FOSSA
Dr. Motaz NuggedAlla
M.Sc (Human Anatomy)

2. TEMPORAL FOSSA

3. Temporal Fossa (Boundaries)
 The temporal fossa, in which the temporal
muscle (L. temporalis) is located, is bounded:
 Anteriorly by the frontal and zygomatic bones.
 Laterally by the zygomatic arch.
 Inferiorly by the infratemporal crest.

7. Temporalis Muscle
 Origin : Floor of temporal fossa.
 Insertion : Coronoid procces of mandible.
 Innervation : Mandibular division of
trigeminal nerve.
 Actions : Elevation and retraction of the
mandible.

8. INFRATEMPORAL FOSSA

9.  The infratemporal fossa is an
irregularly shaped space deep and
inferior to the zygomatic arch, deep to
the ramus of the mandible and
posterior to the maxilla.
 It communicates with the temporal
fossa through the interval between
(deep to) the zygomatic arch and
(superficial to) the cranial bones.

11. Boundaries
 Laterally: the ramus of the mandible.
 Medially: the lateral pterygoid plate.
 Anteriorly: the posterior aspect of the maxilla.
 Posteriorly: the tympanic plate and the mastoid
and styloid processes of the temporal bone.
 Superiorly: the inferior (infratemporal) surface of
the greater wing of the sphenoid.
 Inferiorly: where the medial pterygoid muscle
attaches to the mandible near its angle.

13. Contents
 Inferior part of the temporal muscle.
 Lateral and medial pterygoid muscles.
 Maxillary artery.
 Pterygoid venous plexus.
 Mandibular, inferior alveolar, lingual, buccal,
and chorda tympani nerves .

16. Inferior alveolar nerve
 Is a branch from mandibular nerve which
enters the mandibular canal to supply the
teeth of the lower jaw and emerges through
the mental foramen (mental nerve) to supply
the skin of the chin.

18. Inferior Alveolar Nerve
Block
 The site of the anesthetic injection is around the
mandibular foramen.
 This canal gives passage to the inferior alveolar
nerve, artery, and vein.
 When this nerve block is successful, all
mandibular teeth are anesthetized to the
median plane.
 The skin and mucous membrane of the lower lip,
the labial alveolar mucosa and gingivae, and the
skin of the chin are also anesthetized because
they are supplied by the mental nerve, a branch
of the inferior alveolar nerve.

19. The maxillary artery
 The maxillary artery is the larger of the two
terminal branches of the external carotid
artery .
 It arises posterior to the neck of the mandible
and is divided into three parts based on its
relation to the lateral pterygoid muscle .
 Each three parts of the maxillary artery give 5
branches .

21. The Temporomandibular
Joint
TMJ

23.  TheTMJ is a modified hinge type of synovial joint .
 The articular surfaces involved are the condyle of
the mandible, the articular tubercle of the temporal
bone, and the mandibular fossa.
 The fibrous layer of the capsule attaches to the
margins of the articular area on the temporal bone
and around the neck of the mandible.
 The articular disc divides the TMJ into two separate
compartments (two separate synovial cavities and
membranes).
 Nerve Supply :Auriculotemporal and masseteric
branches of the mandibular nerve