Anatomy & Histology · patient case question
Which muscles insert into the maxilla?
Patient case: Muscles, movement and a fractured condyle
demo: 29-year-old male
chief: Fell from a bicycle onto his chin; his bite now feels wrong.
history: No relevant medical history.
meds: None.
findings: Deviation of the mandible on opening, an anterior open bite and preauricular tenderness. Imaging confirms a fracture of the condylar neck with the condylar head displaced out of the fossa.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Both the buccinator and the medial pterygoid
- A. Both muscles have maxillary attachments, so this cannot be right.
- B. The medial pterygoid's superficial head attaches to the tuberosity, but again this is not the only correct option.
- C. The buccinator does attach to the maxilla, but it is not the only one of the pair that does.
- D. Correct as this question is keyed. The buccinator arises in part from the alveolar process of the maxilla opposite the molars, and the medial pterygoid has an accessory superficial head arising from the maxillary tuberosity and the pyramidal process of the palatine bone. Both therefore have a maxillary attachment.
Note: The medial pterygoid's main deep head arises from the medial surface of the lateral pterygoid plate and inserts on the mandibular angle. Its small superficial head is the maxillary attachment being tested here.
Practice Anatomy & Histology questions Anatomy & Histology study notes