ABSTRACT
The face is dominated by the orbital, nasal and oral cavities, each having groups of sphincter and dilator muscles. The muscles around the oral cavity are important when eating, and all the muscles insert into the overlying skin as muscles of facial expression. The scalp is essential for some facial expressions. Words and speech are formed by movement of the lips and cheeks as well as the tongue. Any injury affecting the facial muscles or their nerve supply (VII) may well affect facial movements and speech. Therefore the motor and sensory nerve supplies to this region are important in clinical examination.
