Skin over the angle of mandible is supplied by?
The trigeminal nerve has three main branches: the ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular. The mandibular branch is the largest and provides sensory innervation to parts of the face, including the lower jaw. However, the skin over the angle of the mandible might be part of the territory of the auriculotemporal nerve, which is a branch of the mandibular division. Alternatively, the facial nerve's branches like the great auricular nerve could be involved here.
Wait, the great auricular nerve is actually a branch of the cervical plexus (C2-C3), not the trigeminal. It supplies the skin over the parotid gland and the angle of the mandible. So maybe the correct answer is the great auricular nerve. Let me confirm: the auriculotemporal nerve comes from the mandibular division of the trigeminal and supplies the temporal region and part of the ear. The skin over the angle of the mandible is more likely supplied by the great auricular nerve, which is from the cervical plexus. That makes sense because the angle is near the neck area, so the cervical plexus would cover that.
So the options might include the great auricular nerve as the correct answer. The other options could be other branches like the auriculotemporal, buccal, or facial nerve branches. Let me check each distractor. If the options include the great auricular nerve, then that's correct. The other nerves like the auriculotemporal (from trigeminal) would supply the temporal area, not the angle of the mandible. The facial nerve's branches like the marginal mandibular branch might supply lower lip, but not the angle. The buccal nerve is part of the mandibular division and supplies the buccal mucosa. The great auricular nerve is the right answer here.
**Core Concept**
The skin over the angle of the mandible is innervated by a nerve from the cervical plexus, specifically the great auricular nerve. This nerve provides sensory supply to the parotid region and the angle of the mandible, distinguishing it from other facial nerves derived from the trigeminal or facial nerves.
**Why the Correct Answer is Right**
The **great auricular nerve** (C2-C3) branches from the cervical plexus and supplies sensory innervation to the skin over the parotid gland and the angle of the mandible. It divides into anterior and posterior branches, with the anterior branch covering the area near the angle of the mandible. This nerve is distinct from the auriculotemporal nerve (a branch of the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve), which innervates the temporal region, not the mandibular angle.
**Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect**
**Option A:** *Auriculotemporal nerve* β Incorrect. This is a branch of the