Local anaesthesia in the lower jaw

The sensory innervation of the upper jaw arises from the second trunk of the trigeminal nerve, the maxillary nerve. This main branch of the trigeminal nerve leaves the neurocranium via the foramen rotundum, reaches the pterygopalatine fossa and runs straight through the infraorbital nerve, branching off many times along its course. With regard to local anaesthesia in the upper jaw, the following branches are of importance: The greater and lesser palatine nerves The posterior, middle and anterior superior alveolar nerves The infraorbital nerve (Fig. 5.1)