Muscles of the jaw

Question 1

What is mastification?

Answer 1

mechanical breakdown of food within the oral cavity.

Question 2

What does chewing consist of?

Answer 2

requires mandibular elevation and depression and lateral excursion.

Question 3

What are the muscles of mastication?

Answer 3

Masseter 
Temporalis 
medial pterygoid 
lateral pterygoid 
anterior belly of digastric

Question 4

Where is the masseter muscle located?

Answer 4

the bulky muscle covering the lateral surface of the ramus.

Question 5

Where is the temporalis muscle located?

Answer 5

encased in a tough fascia, whose deep surface actually serves as a site of origin
for much of the muscle

Question 6

Where is the Medial pterygoid?

Answer 6

a weaker, more medial version of the masseter muscle.

Question 7

What is the function of the masseter muscle?

Answer 7

the main jaw-closing muscle but also provides some jaw protrusion.

Question 8

What is the function of the temporalis muscle?

Answer 8

a powerful jaw closer and provides the resting tonus

of the jaw. The posterior fibers provide the main retrusive force on the jaw.

Question 9

What is the function of the medial pterygoid?

Answer 9

a weaker, more medial version of the masseter muscle. It primarily closes
the jaw and also provides some protrusive force.

Question 10

What is the function of the lateral pterygoid?

Answer 10

provides the main protrusive force and also the main depressive force on the
jaw.

Question 11

What is the function of the Anterior digastric?

Answer 11

an accessory muscle of mastication, it assists the lateral

pterygoid muscle in depressing the jaw and the temporalis muscle in retruding the jaw.