The thick, bandlike muscle of mastication that covers much of the ramus of the mandible is the:

a. masseter muscle.

b. temporalis muscle.

c. lateral pterygoid muscle.

d. risorius muscle.

Video transcript

Hi everyone. Let's take a look at this practice problem together in which of the following areas are the medial and lateral terrio situated. The answer options are a the infra temporal fossa B, temporal fossa C cheek area and D occipital area. Now recall that the medial and lateral terrio its are muscles that are important for mastication. So they're important for chewing. Option D the occipital area, this is not the correct location. Remember, the occipital area is the back of the head and muscles of mastication would not be located at the back of the head. So option D is incorrect. Option B, the temporal fossa recall that this is a shallow depression on the side of the skull, superior to the Zygomatic arch. So it's an area superior to the jaw and mouth, which are areas where the act of chewing occurs. So the temporal fossa is superior to where the lateral and medial terris would be. So option B is also incorrect. Option C the cheek area, the cheek area, it's closer to the mouth and jaw or location of mastication. However, it's not the location of the tero its. So the cheek area is below the eyes, but still above that jawline. So option c is also incorrect. It's the infra temporal fossa which is the location of the medial and lateral ters. This is an incredibly complex area that is located at the base of the skull. And again, this is location of both the medial and lateral terris. So the correct answer is option a infra temporal fossa. All right, everyone. I hope you found this helpful and I'll see you soon for the next practice problem.