The muscle layer runs from the back of the cheekbone to the anterior jaw. The image is based on the superficial layer, deep layer, and coronoid layer. C. Trp is a professor at the University of Basel.
The masseter is a deep layer of muscle that raises the lower jaw and is important for chewing.
The masseter muscle has two layers, one deep and one superficial. The authors of the new report said that a few historical texts mention the possibility of a third layer as well, but they are extremely inconsistent as to its position. The team decided to check out the jaw muscle, which may have a hidden layer.
They took computed tomographic scans of 16 "fresh" cadavers and reviewed an magnetic resonance image from a living subject to make sure they were in good shape. The third layer of the masseter muscle was identified through these exams. This deep, deep layer runs from the zygomatic process, which is a triangular projection on the cheek bones, to the coronoid process, which is a triangular projection on the lower jawbone.
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Szilvia Mezey, a senior lecturer in the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel in Switzerland, said in a statement that the deep section of the masseter muscle is distinguishable from the other layers. The team wrote in their report that based on the arrangement of the muscle fibers, the muscle layer helps to support the lower jaw. The masseter can only pull the jawbone backwards if the muscle layer is strong.
The senior author of the paper said that the finding is a bit like zoologists discovering a new species of vertebrate.
The team proposed that the muscle layer be named "Musculus masseter pars coronidea", meaning "coronoid part of the masseter." Knowing about the muscle layer could help doctors perform surgeries in that region of the jaw and help treat conditions involving the joint that joins the jaw to the skull, they noted.
Live Science published the original article.
