The document provides an overview of the facial artery, including its origin from the external carotid artery, course through the neck and face, branches, variations, clinical significance, and applied anatomy. The facial artery supplies structures of the superficial face like skin and muscles. It has cervical and facial parts. In the neck it passes beneath muscles and through the submandibular gland before curving over the mandible. Its branches include those supplying muscles, glands, lips and nose. Variations and its role in reconstructive procedures are discussed.

1. GOOD MORNING

2. FACIAL ARTERY
Dr. Apoorva G
Department of Periodontology and oral Implantology
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3. CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• ORIGIN
• DEVELPOMENT OF FACIAL ARTERY
• COURSE AND ITS RELATION WITH SURROUNDING STRUCTURE
• BRANCHES OF FACIAL ARTERY
• PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIANTS
• SURGICALS CONSIDERATIONS AND COMPLICATIONS.
• CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
• APPLIED ANATOMY OF FACIAL ARTERY
• CONCLUSION AND REFERENCES.
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4. INTRODUCTION
• The facial artery is a branch of the external carotid artery that
supplies the anatomic structures of the superficial areas, such
as skin and muscles of face, palate, tonsil and nose.
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5. ORIGIN
• It is a branch of External carotid artery
• It arises from carotid triangle which is formed
by the superior belly of omohyoid muscle, the
sternocleidomastoid, and the posterior belly
of digastric.
• It originates deep to the platysma and quickly
becomes superficial.
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6. DEVELPOMENT OF FACIAL ARTERY
• During the 4th and 5th weeks of embryological
development, the aortic sac gives rise to the aortic
arches. The external carotid artery develops from the
3rd aortic arch and gives rise to the facial artery.
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7. COURSE AND ITS RELATION WITH
SURROUNDING STRUCTURE
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8. Course of facial artery
• It has two parts:
 Cervical part
 Facial part
CERVICAL PART
• Arises in the carotid triangle a little above the lingual artery.
• The facial artery originates deep to the platysma.
• It then passes beneath the digastric and stylohyoid muscle .
• It pass through the submandibular gland.
• Then it curve upward over the body of mandible and course along the anterio-
inferior border of masseter to enter the face.
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9. 8/16

10. FACIAL PART
• Enters the face by curving upward over the body of mandible at antero-inferior
angle of Masseter.
• In the face it runs in upward and medial direction.
• The artery course obliquely with a tortuous course.
• It runs upward across the cheek to the angle of mouth, then ascend along the
side of the nose, and end at the medial canthus of eyes as the angular artery (
terminal branch ).
NOTE
Facial artery is always accompanied by facial vein.
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11. Relations with other structure
• Muscle : * In the neck, the facial artery starts deep to the platysma.
* The facial artery traverses superior to the stylopharyngeus, styloglossus, and hyoglossus muscles.
* It travels along the inferior surface of the posterior belly of the digastric and stylohyoid muscles.
* The artery then enters a groove on the posterior surface of the submandibular gland and follows an
upward trajectory over the body of the mandible as it courses along the anteroinferior border of the masseter
* The facial artery remains superficial to the buccinator and levator anguli oris muscles.
• Blood supply and lymphatics :
 Facial vein accompanies facial artery throughout the course.
 Origin of facial artery is near the deep superior cervical lymph nodes.
 Submandibular lymph node lie adjacent to the facial artery.
• Nerves :
The hypoglossal nerve travels deep to the proximal facial artery.
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12. BRANCHES OF FACIAL ARTERY
• CERVICAL PART
1. Ascending palatine branch : supplies soft palate and the palatinal gland.
2. Tonsillar branch : supplies palatinal tonsil and root of the tongue.
3. Glandular branch : supply submandibular gland.
4. Submental branch : Largest of cervical branches, is given off from the
facial artery just as that vessels quit the submandibular gland. Supplies
the lip, and anastomoses with inferior labial and mental arteries.
5. Muscular branch : supply muscles like mylohyoid, nasalis, palatoglossus,
palatopharyngeus, levator veli palatini, platysma, styloglossus, pterygoid
muscle and digastric muscle.
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13. • FACIAL PART
1. Inferior labial branch : arises near angle of mouth,supplies the mucous
membrane, labial glands, and the muscles of lower lip, and anastomoses with
artery of other side and with mental branch of inferior alveolar artery.
2. Superior labial branch : Larger and more tortuous then the inferior, it follows a
similar course along the edge of upper lip.
A septal branch ramifies on the nasal septum as far as the point of nose, and an
alar branch supplies the ala of nose.
3. Lateral nasal branch : Ascend along the side of the nose . It supplies the ala and
dorsum of nose.
4. Angular branch : It’s the terminal part of facial artery. It ascends to the medial
angle of the orbit. It ends by anastomosing with the dorsal nasal branch of
ophthalmic artery.
5. Muscular branch : supply the facial muscle like buccinator, levator anguli
oris,masseter, mentalis, procerus.
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14. PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIANTS
• In the absence of an external carotid artery, the facial artery may arise from either the internal
carotid artery or common carotid artery. Some clinically significant variations include
an enlarged facial artery, a hypoplastic facial artery, and agenesis of the facial artery.
SURGICALS CONSIDERATIONS AND COMPLICATIONS.
• The facial artery has a role in the reconstructive procedures of the face. It can act as the vascular supply for
various flaps including local flaps, regional flaps, or free flaps.
• These types of reconstructive procedures can be performed following resection of tumors in the head and
neck. Due to its robust nature, the facial artery can adequately supply grafted tissue.
• Prevention of trauma to the facial artery is paramount. Thus, excessive retraction in this area
should be avoided.
• Haemorrhage from the facial artery can occur during submandibular gland excision.
• External approaches to mandible fracture repair can require ligation of the facial artery.
• If bleeding from the facial artery occurs, direct pressure should be applied to the inferio anterior border
of the mandible over the vessel until the vessel is identified and bleeding is controlled.
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15. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
• It is commonly palpated by anesthetists at the anterio-inferior
border of masseter muscle against the base of mandible.
Often referred to as anesthetic artery.
• Tortuous course of artery prevent its stretching during movement of
mandible and facial muscles.
• Atherosclerosis of the common carotid artery increases the risk of emboli
shooting off and hence stroke occurs. Transient stroke may remain up to
24 hours. Treatment include carotid endarterectomy or endovascular
treatment.
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16. Applied anatomy of facial artery
• Facial artery can be injured while doing the procedures on lower
premolars and molars, If instruments enters the cheek at inferior
vestibular fornix. And also while attempt to open a buccal abscess or
mucocele.
• In that case, facial artery compression is done by applying pressure.
CONCLUSION
Facial artery basically arises from external carotid artery and it divide
itself to supply various structures in cervical and facial region.
It provide oxygen and nutrition to the structures.
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17. REFERENCES.
• NTSAnatomy, Head and Neck, Facial Arteries, Nuwan Meegalla; Gitanjli Sood; Trevor A.
Nessel; Brian W. Downs.
• Niranjan NS. An anatomical study of the facial artery. Ann Plast Surg. 1988 Jul;21(1):14-22. [PubMed]
• Lee HJ, Won SY, O J, Hu KS, Mun SY, Yang HM, Kim HJ. The facial artery: A Comprehensive Anatomical
Review. Clin Anat. 2018 Jan;31(1):99-108. [PubMed.
• Mangalgiri A, Namdev LN, Mahore D, Kapre M. The study of higher origin of facial artery and its surgical
significance. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015 Mar;67(1):72-4. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
• A HALIM , Human anatomy regional and clinical for dental students
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