Anat Cell Biol 2023; 56(3): 293-298
Published online September 30, 2023
https://doi.org/10.5115/acb.22.266
Copyright © Korean Association of ANATOMISTS.
Kyu-Ho Yi1,2,*,* , Ji-Hyun Lee3,*,*
, Hye-Won Hu2
, Hyun-Jun Park4
, Hyungkyu Bae2
, Kangwoo Lee2
, Hee-Jin Kim2
1Wonju Public Health Center, Wonju, 2Division in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, Human Identification Research Institute, BK21 FOUR Project, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, Seoul, 3Department of Anatomy and Acupoint, College of Korean Medicine, Gachon University, Seongnam, 4Maylin Anti-Aging Center Apgujeong, Seoul, Korea
Correspondence to:Hee-Jin Kim
Division in Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Department of Oral Biology, Yonsei University College of Dentistry, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea
E-mail: hjk776@yuhs.ac
*These authors contributed equally to this work.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The mentalis muscle is a paired muscle originating from the alveolar bone of the mandible. This muscle is the main target muscle for botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) injection therapy, which aims to treat cobblestone chin caused by mentalis hyperactivity. However, a lack of knowledge on the anatomy of the mentalis muscle and the properties of BoNT can lead to side effects, such as mouth closure insufficiency and smile asymmetry due to ptosis of the lower lip after BoNT injection procedures. Therefore, we have reviewed the anatomical properties associated with BoNT injection into the mentalis muscle. An up-to-date understanding of the localization of the BoNT injection point according to mandibular anatomy leads to better injection localization into the mentalis muscle. Optimal injection sites have been provided for the mentalis muscle and a proper injection technique has been described. We have suggested optimal injection sites based on the external anatomical landmarks of the mandible. The aim of these guidelines is to maximize the effects of BoNT therapy by minimizing the deleterious effects, which can be very useful in clinical settings.
Keywords: Botulinum neurotoxin, Facial wrinkle, Mentalis muscle, Cobblestone chin, Injection point