DETERMINATION OF THE LENGTH AND PENETRATION OF THE DEEP TEMPORAL NERVES IN THE TEMPORAL MUSCLE

the aim of this study is to determinate the length and the penetration point of the deep temporal nerves, in the temporal muscles. twenty hemiheads were used, fastened in formaldehyde, of adult individuals of both sexes and of different ethnic groups. initially, it was made the dissection of the pieces by an endocranian access, once located the nerves, we passed to the measurement of the same ones, using as reference the oval foramen and the penetration point of the nerve in the muscle. for the determination of the penetration point it was used two pre-certain lines that delimited the area of penetration of the deep temporal nerves in the temporal muscle. the first, is a line that tangency the zigomatic arch, and the second, is a line parallel to the one that tangency the supra orbital margin. the penetration points were projected to the surface with the aid of a pin, and compared with the references already described giving, subsidies for an eventual approach of those structures for the surface. the results obtained were analyzed in a statistics, where we could conclude that there are no significant differences in the length among the right and left sides. althought we could conclude that the medium length of anterior deep temporal nerve is 27,26mm; of the medium deep temporal nerve is of 26,02mm; and of the posterior deep temporal is of 24,93mm. we could conclude too that in most of cases the deep temporal nerves penetrates in the inferior third of the temporal muscle.