Mastication - Definition and Overview

Mastication is a name for the process of breaking up of food and mixing it with saliva. This is done as a preparation for digestion (chewing) and it eases swallowing of solid food.

Mastication is chiefly possible thanks to powerful muscles, masseter and temporalis, as well as smaller muscles that allow fine control. They move mandible against the upper jaw and enable crushing of relatively hard food.

In man, mandible is connected with the temporomandibular joint that permits forward-backward and side to side movement.

Muscles of mastication

Chewing food is a complex technique, muscles need to be powerful enough to break tough portions of food, yet have enough dexterity to not injure the tongue, and to clear the mouth completely.

All the muscles of mastication (except stylopharyngeus) are supplied by the mandibular nerve (V₃), which is a branch of the trigeminal nerve that mostly carries sensation from the face.

Temporalis is a muscle attached to the temporal fossa (on the side of the skull) and connects to the coronoid process of the mandible. It acts to close the jaw, and also pull the mandible inwards (retrude it). The masseter starts at the zygomatic arch and inserts at the lateral surface of the mandible.

All muscles of human mastication

Important muscles in bold.

• Buccinator muscle
• Depressor anguli oris muscle
• Depressor labii inferioris muscle
• Lateral pterygoid muscle
• Levator anguli oris muscle
• Levator labii superioris alaeque nasi muscle
• Levator labii superioris muscle
• Levator veli palatini muscle
• Masseter muscle
• Medial pterygoid muscle
• Mentalis muscle
• Orbicularis oris muscle
• Superior pharyngeal constrictor muscle
• Temporalis muscle
• Tensor veli palatini muscle
• Zygomaticus major muscle
• Zygomaticus minor muscle