Cranial Nerve V - Trigeminal Nerve

The trigeminal nerve is the largest cranial nerve and as the name indicates it has three divisions.These are labeled as V1, V2, and V3 (Figure 11) but each also has a name to describe it also. Each branch follows a different course out of the cranium but are collected into a single nerve due to all the sensory nuclei being in a single ganglion that is fed by the three branches. This is the most important nerve in dentistry and we will discuss each division separately noting all the important nerves associated with each.

Divisions of Cranial Nerve V -Trigeminal Nerve:

• V1 – Ophthalmic Nerve
• V2 – Maxillary Nerve
• V3 – Mandibular Nerve