Mylohyoid muscle

Mylohyoid muscle
Muscles of the neck seen from the front (mylohyoid muscle colored in bright red)
Surface anatomy of the neck seen from the front (mylohyoid muscle labeled at right, second from top)
Details
Origin	Mylohyoid line (mandible)
Insertion	Body of hyoid bone and median ridge
Artery	Mylohyoid branch of inferior alveolar artery
Nerve	Mylohyoid nerve, from inferior alveolar branch of mandibular nerve
Actions	Raises oral cavity floor, elevates hyoid, elevates tongue, depresses mandible
Identifiers
Latin	Musculus mylohyoideus
TA	A04.2.03.006
FMA	46320
Anatomical terms of muscle []

The mylohyoid muscle is a paired muscle running from the mandible to the hyoid bone, forming the floor of the oral cavity of the mouth. It is named after its two attachments near the molar teeth ("mylo" comes from the Greek word for "molar"). These muscles are mesodermal in embryologic origin. The mylohyoid muscle is derived from the first pharyngeal arch.

The mylohyoid muscle is flat and triangular, and is situated immediately superior to the anterior belly of the digastric muscle. It is a pharyngeal muscle (derived from the first pharyngeal arch) and classified as one of the suprahyoid muscles. Together, the paired mylohyoid muscles form a muscular floor for the oral cavity of the mouth.

The two mylohyoid muscles arise from the mandible at the mylohyoid line, which extends from the mandibular symphysis in front to the last molar tooth behind. The posterior fibers pass inferomedially and insert at anterior surface of the hyoid bone. The medial fibres of the two mylohyoid muscles unite in a midline raphe (where the two muscles intermesh).

The mylohyoid muscle separates the sublingual space from the submandibular space, which communicate via a lateral gap between the mylohyoid and hyoglossus muscles at the posterior free margin of mylohyoid muscle. The submandibular gland wraps around the edges of the mylohyoid, and is divided into superficial and deep lobes above and below the muscle.