
The human face has about 20 facial muscles that enable us to chew, make facial expressions, and perform other tasks. One of these muscles is the orbicularis oris, a circular muscle that surrounds the mouth and forms the majority of the lips. It is responsible for puckering, pursing, and wrinkling the lips and is also known as the kissing muscle. The orbicularis oris is composed of two parts: a larger peripheral part and a smaller marginal part.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Orbicularis Oris |
| Location | Above the upper lip and below the bottom lip |
| Function | Controls the movement of the lips, enabling precise control over lip movements |
| Facial Expressions | Plays a crucial role in facial expressions, speech, and oral functions such as eating and drinking |
| Structure | Consists of two parts: a larger peripheral part and a smaller marginal part |
| Composition | Made up of four independent quadrants that interlace and give the appearance of circularity |
| Innervation | Buccal branch of the facial nerve, or cranial nerve VII |
| Blood Supply | Superior labial artery and inferior labial artery |
| Conditions | Satchmo's syndrome, caused by overuse and high pressures, leading to symptoms such as lip pain and trembling |
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What You'll Learn

The muscle is called the Orbicularis Oris
The muscle that circles the lips is called the Orbicularis Oris. It is a complex circular muscle that surrounds the mouth and forms the majority of the lips. It is located above the upper lip and below the bottom lip. The Orbicularis Oris is responsible for puckering and wrinkling the lips, and it plays a crucial role in facial expressions, speech, and oral functions such as eating and drinking.
The Orbicularis Oris is composed of two parts: a larger peripheral part and a smaller marginal part. The peripheral portion, also called the extrinsic portion, originates from the modiolus and is made up of fibres from five of the buccolabial muscles that attach to it. These are the levator anguli oris, depressor anguli oris, buccinator, risorius, and zygomaticus major muscles. The marginal portion, also known as the intrinsic portion, consists of a single or occasionally double band of muscle fibres.
The Orbicularis Oris is part of a large group of muscles of facial expression called the buccolabial group. This group includes other muscles such as the levator anguli oris, levator labii superioris, and depressor labii inferioris. The buccal branch of the facial nerve, or cranial nerve VII, provides motor innervation to the Orbicularis Oris and elevators of the lip and lip angle.
The Orbicularis Oris is also known as the "kissing muscle" because it allows us to pucker our lips for actions like kissing or whistling. It is a crucial component of facial expression and oral function, enabling precise control over lip movements and enhancing communication and non-verbal expressions.
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It is responsible for puckering and wrinkling the lips
The muscle that circles the mouth is called the orbicularis oris. It is responsible for puckering and wrinkling the lips. This muscle is located above the upper lip and below the bottom lip. It is a complex circular muscle that surrounds the orifice of the mouth and forms the majority of the lips. The orbicularis oris is composed of two parts: a larger peripheral part and a smaller marginal part. The peripheral portion, or extrinsic portion, originates from the modiolus and is made up of fibres from five of the many buccolabial muscles that attach to it. These include the levator anguli oris, depressor anguli oris, buccinator, risorius, and zygomaticus major muscles. Most of the fibres that make up the orbicularis oris come from the buccinator muscle, which is found directly lateral to it on both sides.
The marginal portion, or intrinsic portion, consists of a single or occasionally double band of muscle fibres. These fibres pass from the undersurface of the skin to the mucous membrane, through the thickness of the lip. They connect the muscle with the maxilla and the septum of the nose above, and with the mandible below. In the upper lip, these fibres form two bands, lateral and medial, on either side of the middle line. The lateral band, or m. incisivus labii superioris, arises from the alveolar border of the maxilla and arches laterally, connecting with the other muscles at the angle of the mouth. The medial band, or m. nasolabialis, connects the upper lip to the back of the septum of the nose.
The orbicularis oris is part of a large group of muscles of facial expression called the buccolabial group. This group includes muscles such as the levator anguli oris, levator labii superioris, zygomaticus major, and depressor labii inferioris. The function of the orbicularis oris is to control the shape and movements of the lips. It closes, protrudes, and compresses the lips, facilitating speech and various facial expressions. The muscle also plays a crucial role in oral functions such as eating and drinking.
The orbicularis oris is considered the principal muscle of the lips and is unique in that it bears no direct bony attachments. Instead, it is appended by the other oral muscles that attach to it. The buccal branch of the facial nerve, or cranial nerve VII, provides motor innervation to the orbicularis oris and elevators of the lip and lip angle. The orbicularis oris is also supplied by various branches of the trigeminal nerve, or cranial nerve V, which provide sensory innervation to the lips.
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It is made up of two parts: peripheral and marginal
The muscle that circles the mouth is called the Orbicularis Oris. It is a complex circular muscle that surrounds the orifice of the mouth and forms the majority of the lips. This muscle is responsible for puckering, pursing, and wrinkling the lips. It plays a crucial role in facial expressions, speech, and oral functions such as eating and drinking.
The Orbicularis Oris is composed of numerous strata of muscular fibres surrounding the mouth, with different directions and orientations. It is made up of two parts: a larger peripheral part and a smaller marginal part. The peripheral portion, also called the extrinsic portion, originates from the modiolus, which is a dense fibromuscular nodule at the angle of the mouth. Five of the many buccolabial muscles that attach to the modiolus contribute to the Orbicularis Oris: the levator anguli oris, depressor anguli oris, buccinator, risorius, and zygomaticus major muscles. The buccinator muscle, in particular, provides most of the fibres that make up the Orbicularis Oris.
The marginal portion, also known as the intrinsic portion, consists of a single or occasionally double band of muscle fibres. These fibres pass from the undersurface of the skin to the mucous membrane, through the thickness of the lip. They connect the lip to the maxilla and the septum of the nose above, and with the mandible below. In the upper lip, these fibres form two bands, lateral and medial, on either side of the middle line. The lateral band, called the m. incisivus labii superioris, arises from the alveolar border of the maxilla and arches laterally, connecting with other muscles at the angle of the mouth. The medial band, or m. nasolabialis, connects the upper lip to the back of the septum of the nose.
The Orbicularis Oris is not a simple sphincter muscle, but rather a complex arrangement of fibres that interlace and give the appearance of circularity. It is a crucial component of facial expression and oral function, enabling precise control over lip movements and enhancing communication and non-verbal expressions. The muscle is supplied with motor innervation by the buccal branch of the facial nerve, or cranial nerve VII, and sensory innervation by the trigeminal nerve, or cranial nerve V.
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It is a crucial component of facial expression and oral function
The muscle that circles the lips is called the orbicularis oris. It is a complex circular muscle that surrounds the mouth and forms the majority of the lips. It is located above the upper lip and below the bottom lip. This muscle is responsible for puckering, pursing, and wrinkling the lips. It is also known as the "kissing muscle" because it enables the puckering of the lips.
The orbicularis oris is a crucial component of facial expression and oral function. It is primarily responsible for controlling the movement of the lips. When it contracts, it allows for puckering the lips, as in actions like kissing or whistling. This circular muscle enables precise control over lip movements, enhancing communication and non-verbal expressions.
The orbicularis oris is also essential for speech and oral functions such as eating and drinking. It closes, protrudes, and compresses the lips, facilitating various facial expressions, including anger and sadness. The muscle is composed of two parts: a larger peripheral part and a smaller marginal part. The peripheral portion, also called the extrinsic portion, arises from the modiolus and is formed by the fibres of the buccolabial muscles that attach to it. The marginal portion, or intrinsic portion, consists of a single or occasionally double band of muscle fibres.
The orbicularis oris is part of a larger group of muscles of facial expression called the buccolabial group. This group includes other muscles such as the levator anguli oris, zygomaticus major, and depressor labii inferioris. The buccal branch of the facial nerve, or cranial nerve VII, provides motor innervation to the orbicularis oris and elevators of the lip and lip angle.
The lips themselves are an essential aspect of the human face, playing a critical role in facial expression, communication, and oral functions. The orbicularis oris muscle is, therefore, a crucial component in enabling the lips to perform their various functions and facilitating facial expressions.
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Satchmo's syndrome is a condition caused by overuse of the muscle
The orbicularis oris is a circle of muscle around the mouth that closes or purses the lips. It is also known as the "kissing muscle" because it puckers the lips. This muscle is not a true sphincter, as was once thought, but is actually composed of four independent quadrants that interlace and give the appearance of circularity. The orbicularis oris is one of the muscles used in playing brass and some woodwind instruments.
Satchmo's syndrome is a condition caused by the rupture of the orbicularis oris muscle due to overuse and high pressure. The condition is named after Louis Armstrong (nicknamed Satchmo), who developed the condition in 1935 and refrained from playing the trumpet for a year to recover. However, it is unclear whether Armstrong truly suffered from this condition, as it has never been documented. Symptoms of Satchmo's syndrome include lower lip pain, an inability to play in the upper registers, trembling of the lips, and bleeding fissures and crevices of the lips. The main treatment for the syndrome is rest, and NSAIDs such as ibuprofen can help with pain and inflammation. In some cases, surgery may be required to remove ruptured muscle fibres, but even then, many months of rest are still necessary.
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Frequently asked questions
The muscle that circles the lips is called the Orbicularis Oris.
The Orbicularis Oris muscle is responsible for puckering, pursing, and wrinkling the lips. It also closes the mouth. This muscle is crucial for facial expressions, speech, and oral functions such as eating and drinking.
The name Orbicularis Oris is derived from Latin, with 'Orbicularis' meaning 'circular' and 'oris' meaning 'of the mouth'.





































