Corpus: Infraorbital nerve

The infraorbital nerve is a branch of the maxillary nerve.

The infraorbital nerve is a direct continuation of the maxillary nerve. It enters the orbit together with the infraorbital artery through the inferior orbital fissure. The nerve travels along the floor of the orbit to the infraorbital groove (infraorbital sulcus), exits the orbit via the infraorbital canal, and finally emerges on the facial surface of the skull through the infraorbital foramen.

• Anterior superior alveolar branch
• Middle superior alveolar branch
• Posterior superior alveolar branch

The infraorbital nerve provides sensory innervation to the maxillary sinus, the teeth of the upper jaw, and the skin between the upper lip and the lower eyelid.

The infraorbital nerve is assessed during the examination of the three main exit points of the terminal branches of the trigeminal nerve on the face. Pain upon palpation of the infraorbital nerve at the trigeminal pressure point may indicate pathological changes affecting the trigeminal nerve's course.