Submental artery

Submental artery
Submental artery
	Dissection, showing salivary glands of right side. (Submental artery visible at bottom right.)
Details
Source	facial artery
Branches	superficial branch ; deep branch
Identifiers
Latin	arteria submentalis
TA98	A12.2.05.023
TA2	4391
FMA	49561
	Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

The submental artery is the largest branch of the facial artery in the neck.^[1] It first runs forward under the mouth, then turns upward upon reaching the chin.

Anatomy

Origin

The submental artery is the largest branch of the facial artery in the neck.^[1]

It arises from the facial artery just as the facial artery splits the submandibular gland.^[1]

Course and distribution

The artery passes anterior-ward upon the mylohyoid muscle, coursing inferior to the body of the mandible and deep to the digastric muscle.^{[citation needed]} Here, the artery supplies adjacent muscles and skin; it also forms anastomoses with the sublingual artery and with the mylohyoid branch of the inferior alveolar artery. Upon reaching the chin, artery turns superior-ward^[1] at the mandibular symphysis^{[citation needed]} to pass over the mandible before dividing into a superficial branch and a deep branch; the two terminal branches are distributed to the chin and lower lip, and form anastomoses with the inferior labial and mental arteries.^[1]

Distribution

Branches

The superficial branch passes between the integument and depressor labii inferioris, and anastomoses with the inferior labial artery.^{[citation needed]}
The deep branch runs between the muscle and the bone, supplies the lip, and anastomoses with the inferior labial artery and the mental branch of the inferior alveolar artery.^{[citation needed]}