Vol. 127 No. 1 (2023)
Original Article

The Auriculotemporal Nerve and TMJ region: anatomy and function

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  • Maria Grazia Poerio,
  • Michele Runci Anastasi,
  • Giovanna Vermiglio,
  • Antonio Centofanti,
  • Piero Cascone
Maria Grazia Poerio
DDS Student; Graduand, School of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00100 Rome
Michele Runci Anastasi
MD, Resident; IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Centro Neurolesi “Bonino-Pulejo” IRCCS Messina, 98100 Messina
Giovanna Vermiglio
PhD, Research Fellow; Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98100 Messina
Antonio Centofanti
DDS, PhD, Research Fellow; Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98100 Messina
Piero Cascone
MD, Full Professor; Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, University in Rome, 00131 Rome
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/ijae-14487

Published 2023-08-28

Keywords

  • auriculotemporal nerve,
  • TMJ,
  • pterygoid muscle

How to Cite

Poerio, M. G., Runci Anastasi, M., Vermiglio, G., Centofanti, A., & Cascone, P. (2023). The Auriculotemporal Nerve and TMJ region: anatomy and function. Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology, 127(1), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.36253/ijae-14487

Copyright (c) 2023 Maria Grazia Poerio, Michele Runci Anastasi, Giovanna Vermiglio, Antonio Centofanti, Piero Cascone

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The studies on the auriculotemporal nerve in humans are limited. However, we considered crucial to investigate the topographic relation between the auriculotemporal nerve and the TMJ region that can explain some of the symptoms in TMDs. The results derived from our experience in the anatomic dissection on 16 adult cadaveric heads were compared with what literature describes from 1971 to 2023. The results confirm the existence of a particular anatomic position of the ATN within the infratemporal fossa in direct contact with the lateral pterygoid muscle and the TMJ capsular region. Therefore, there is evidence of a potential entrapment mechanism involving the ATN caused by an internal derangement of TMJ or a spastic condition of the lateral pterygoid muscle. Through a detailed anatomical description of the ATN the present study aims to offer an explanation to the main sensory and otological symptoms that patients with TMJ disorders often complaint, from facial pain and paresthesias to external ear pruritus.

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