Buccinator muscle
Buccinator outlined in red.
Latin	musculus buccinator
Gray's	subject #108 384
Origin	from the alveolar processes of the maxillary bone and mandible, pterygomandibular raphe
Insertion	in the fibres of the orbicularis oris
Artery	buccal artery
Nerve	buccal branch of the facial nerve (VII cranial nerve)
Actions	The buccinator compresses the cheeks against the teeth and is used in acts such as blowing. It is an assistant muscle of mastication (chewing).

The buccinator is a thin quadrilateral muscle, occupying the interval between the maxilla and the mandible at the side of the face.

[edit] Action

Its purpose is to pull back the angle of the mouth and to flatten the cheek area, which aids in holding the cheek to the teeth during chewing.

It aids whistling and smiling and in neonates it is used to suckle.

[edit] Origin and insertion

It arises from the outer surfaces of the alveolar processes of the maxilla and mandible, corresponding to the three molar teeth; and behind, from the anterior border of the pterygomandibular raphé which separates it from the constrictor pharyngis superior.

The fibers converge toward the angle of the mouth, where the central fibers intersect each other, those from below being continuous with the upper segment of the orbicularis oris, and those from above with the lower segment; the upper and lower fibers are continued forward into the corresponding lip without decussation.

[edit] Innervation

Motor innervation is from the buccal branch of the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII), and sensory innervation is from the buccal branch of the mandibular branch of trigeminal nerve (CN V3).

[edit] Additional images

Muscles of head and neck	Left maxilla. Outer surface.	Mandible. Outer surface. Side view.	Scheme showing arrangement of fibers of Orbicularis oris.
The internal carotid and vertebral arteries. Right side.	Distribution of the maxillary and mandibular nerves, and the submaxillary ganglion.	Mandibular division of the trifacial nerve.	The mouth cavity. The cheeks have been slit transversely and the tongue pulled forward.

[edit] External links

• -845545395 at GPnotebook
• LUC buc
• Buccinator+muscle at eMedicine Dictionary
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 05287.011-1
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 25420.000-1

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This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.