Mucosal perforators from the facial artery.

Area of Science:

• Anatomy
• Vascular Anatomy
• Oral Anatomy

Background:

• The cutaneous perforators of the facial artery are well-documented.
• However, the perforators supplying the oral mucosa have not been previously described.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and characterize the oral mucosal perforators of the facial artery.
• To determine their number, diameter, and length, and their anatomical location within the oral mucosa.

Main Methods:

• Dissection of 10 facial arteries from 5 human cadavers.
• Injection of latex into the facial arteries to visualize perforators.
• Measurement of the diameter and length of the facial artery and its oral mucosal perforators.

Main Results:

• A total of 52 oral mucosal perforators were identified across 10 facial arteries.
• The mean diameter of these perforators was 0.5 mm (SD 0.2 mm).
• The mean number of perforators per facial artery was 5.2 (SD 1.1), with a mean length of 16.4 mm (SD 5.3 mm).
• Most perforators supplying the cheek were located between the branching points of the inferior and superior labial arteries.

Conclusions:

• The facial artery supplies the oral mucosa of the cheek via distinct perforating vessels.
• These oral mucosal perforators are predominantly situated between the origins of the superior and inferior labial arteries.
• This anatomical data is vital for surgical procedures and understanding vascularization in the oral region.