Dilator naris muscle
facial muscle that controls the nostril opening
The dilator naris muscle (or alae nasi muscle) is a part of the nasalis muscle. It has an anterior and a posterior part. It has origins from the nasal notch of the maxilla and the major alar cartilage, and a single insertion near the margin of the nostril. It controls nostril width, including changes during breathing. Its function can be tested as an analogue for the function of the facial nerve (VII), which supplies it.
Structure
The dilator naris muscle is divided into posterior and anterior parts.
The dilator naris posterior is placed partly beneath the levator labii superioris muscle. It arises from the margin of the nasal notch of the maxilla, and from the minor alar cartilages. It is inserted into the skin near the margin of the nostril.
The dilator naris anterior is a delicate fasciculus.
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This entry incorporates text from “Dilator naris muscle” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.