Mylohyoid Muscle, Inferior View

Description

Inferiorly oriented, the mylohyoid muscles form paired sheets spanning the inner surface of the mandibular body from the mylohyoid line to the midline median raphe, where left and right fibers interdigitate to create a continuous floor of mouth. Posteriorly, the muscular sling approaches the hyoid bone (os hyoideum) and blends with the suprahyoid complex, while anterior fibers sit closer to the mandibular symphysis. Medially, the raphe defines the central partition; laterally, the mylohyoid abuts the lingual aspect of the mandible and frames the submandibular region. A true muscular diaphragm. Clinical teaching around the mylohyoid often hinges on fascial compartments: the muscle separates the sublingual space (superior) from the submandibular space (inferior), so the relationship of its posterior free border and midline raphe predicts how odontogenic infections track from mandibular molars. This inferior perspective also clarifies why the submandibular gland wraps around the posterior edge of the mylohyoid and why the mylohyoid nerve (branch of V3) is at risk during submandibular approaches and floor-of-mouth dissection. Surgeons and dentists care about this plane. Use this artwork in head and neck anatomy labs, dental curricula covering mandibular molar infection pathways, and oral and maxillofacial surgery or ENT references that explain sublingual versus submandibular space involvement in Ludwig angina and related deep neck space infections. It also fits speech and swallowing instruction when you need a clean depiction of suprahyoid support of the oral cavity floor. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.