Anatomy of the Lingual Nerve: Application to Oral Surgery

The purpose of this research is to obtain morphological information regarding the traveling route and branches of the lingual nerve, and their distribution within the tongue. This information is necessary for oral surgery procedures. The specimens were 20 hemifaces of 20 adult cadavers. We observed the area from the merging of the lingual nerve with the chorda tympani nerve to its terminal branch, and investigated its detailed course in respect of its collateral branches and its communicating branches to the hypoglossal nerve. There were two to eight collateral branches of the lingual nerve, which were distributed in the oral mucosa between the palatoglossal arch and the lower third molar. The morphology of the collateral branches was categorized into three types. The lingual nerve started to communicate with the hypoglossal nerve prior to reaching the anterior edge of the hyoglossus muscle. Communicating branches formed in a total of three places in the main body of the tongue and the apex of tongue. A thorough understanding of these collateral branches of the lingual nerve and the communicating branches between the lingual and hypoglossal nerves inside the tongue will be significant for preventing functional disorders resulting from local anesthesia and oral surgery procedures associated with these sites.

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