The Trigeminal Nerve. Part I: An Over-View

ABSTRACT

The trigeminal nerve is the largest and most complex of twelve cranial nerves. Its vast size and influence are greatly appreciated when one attempts to diagnose and treat patients suffering from orofacial pain and temporomandibular joint disorders. Without a thorough knowledge of the trigeminal nerve, the efficacy of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures will be very disappointing. This is the first of a four-part series of articles about the trigeminal nerve, a basic over-view of both the gross and neuroanatomical structures is presented.

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Wesley E. Shankland

Dr. Wesley E. Shankland, II graduated from the Ohio State University with a B.S. degree, majoring in biochemistry and zoology. He continued his education at Ohio State and graduated from the College of Dentistry in 1978. He earned an M.S. degree in 1993 and a Ph.D. in 1997, both in anatomy. He maintains a practice in Columbus, Ohio, that is limited to the diagnosis and treatment of craniofacial and temporomandibular joint disorders. Dr. Shankland is the author of over fifty-five scientific publications, a manual of head and neck anatomy, chapters in three textbooks and has also written two books. He is the recent Past President of the American Academy of Head, Neck and Facial Pain, and he is a member of the American Academy of Orofacial Pain, the American Headache Society, the International Headache Association, the Christian Medical and Dental Society, the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Christian Medical and Dental Society. He has lectured throughout the world concerning head and neck anatomy, craniofacial pain, the differential diagnosis of headache pain, and temporomandibular disorders. He is on the editorial boards of four scientific journals and is an Associate Editor of CRANIO: The Journal of Craniomandibular Practice.