Patient presenting for a tongue biopsy. Which is the ONLY nerve that needs to be anesthetized for a typical lateral tongue biopsy?

Correct answer: A. Lingual nerve

• A. Correct. The lingual nerve provides general sensory innervation (including pain) to the anterior two-thirds of the tongue, making it the nerve that must be anesthetized for a biopsy in this region.
• B. The hypoglossal nerve is purely motor to the tongue musculature and carries no sensory/pain fibers, so anesthetizing it would not provide pain control.
• C. The facial nerve carries some taste fibers (via chorda tympani) but is primarily motor to facial muscles, not the nerve responsible for general/pain sensation of the tongue.
• D. The mental nerve innervates the chin/lower lip, unrelated to tongue sensation.