Buccinator muscle Buccinator muscle The buccinator ( ) is a thin quadrilateral muscle occupying the interval between the maxilla and the mandible at the side of the face. It forms the anterior part of the cheek or the lateral wall of the oral cavity. It arises from the outer surfaces of the alveolar processes of the maxilla and mandible, corresponding to the three pairs of molar teeth; and behind, from the anterior border of the pterygomandibular raphé which separates it from the constrictor pharyngis superior. It is attached upon the buccinator crest as far forward as the first molar tooth. The fibers
Biarticular muscle Biarticular muscle Biarticular muscles are muscles that cross two joints rather than just one, such as the hamstrings which cross both the hip and the knee. The function of these muscles is complex and often depends upon both their anatomy and the activity of other muscles at the joints in question. Their role in movement is currently poorly understood. Biarticular muscles cross two joints in series, usually in a limb, but the details of the origin (proximal attachment) and insertion (distal attachment) can play a large role in determining muscle function. For instance, the human gastrocnemius technically spans both the