Posterior superior alveolar artery
Arteria alveolaris superior posterior
A maxillary artery branch that descends on the back of the maxilla to supply the upper back teeth, gums and maxillary sinus.
At a glance
- English
- Posterior superior alveolar artery
- Latin (TA2)
- Arteria alveolaris superior posterior
- System
- Artery
- Region
- Head
- Side
- Paired, left and right
About the posterior superior alveolar artery
The posterior superior alveolar artery, also called the posterior dental artery, belongs to the third, or pterygopalatine, part of the maxillary artery. It arises at the point where the maxillary trunk passes from the infratemporal fossa into the pterygopalatine fossa through the pterygomaxillary fissure, often sharing a common stem with the infraorbital artery.
From its origin it descends on the rounded posterior surface of the maxilla, the maxillary tuberosity, accompanied by the posterior superior alveolar nerve from the maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve. Here it splits into several branches. Some enter small foramina on the back of the maxilla and run in bony canals in the wall of the maxillary sinus, supplying the sinus mucosa and the roots of the upper premolars and molars. Others keep to the outer surface and run forwards along the alveolar process, supplying the gum on the cheek side of the upper back teeth and the adjacent buccal mucosa and buccinator.
Within the maxilla its branches anastomose with the middle and anterior superior alveolar arteries, which come from the infraorbital artery, forming a loop of vessels around the sinus and the tooth roots. The buccal and facial arteries also join its superficial branches.
The vessel matters in dentistry and oral surgery. When local anaesthetic is injected behind the tuberosity for a posterior superior alveolar nerve block, the needle can enter the artery or the pterygoid venous plexus beside it, producing a rapid haematoma in the cheek. Its intraosseous branch in the lateral wall of the sinus may also bleed during sinus lift procedures for dental implants, and surgeons look for it on scans beforehand.
Course and supply
- Arises from
- The maxillary artery in its pterygopalatine part, often with the infraorbital artery, as it enters the pterygopalatine fossa.
- Ends in
- Breaks up on the maxillary tuberosity into dental, sinus and gingival branches that anastomose with the other superior alveolar arteries.
- Supplies
- Supplies the upper molar and premolar teeth, the maxillary sinus lining, the buccal gingiva and the adjacent cheek.
Anthromica
See the posterior superior alveolar artery where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
- Every layer, one body. Peel from muscle to bone, nerve, vessel and organ, and turn it any way.
- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
- Quiz until it sticks. Short drills on the structures you keep missing.
Free to start. No card.
