Researchers at the University of Basel have discovered a previously overlooked section of the jaw muscles and described this layer in detail for the first time. The muscle is described as an
additional, deeper layer in the masseter muscle, a prominent jaw muscle that is found in the rear part of the cheek and helps in chewing.
The findings were published in Annals of Anatomy (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aanat.2021.151879). The researchers recommend that the muscle be named musculus masseter pars coronidea, which means the coronoid part of the masseter, because the newly described layer of muscle is attached to the muscular (or “coronoid”) process of the lower jaw.
