CN V3 is known as the ___________ division of the trigeminal nerve.

• A. Ophthalmic
• B. Maxillary
• C. Mandibular
• D. Abducens

Answer: (C)

The trigeminal nerve has three divisions, each with distinct areas of sensory input, and one division carries motor fibers. The mandibular division is the one that includes both sensory information from the lower face, lower teeth, and parts of the tongue, and motor signals to the muscles of mastication (like the masseter and temporalis). That combination of sensory and motor roles is why it’s called the mandibular division. It exits the skull through the foramen ovale, setting it apart from the other divisions, which are purely sensory: ophthalmic for the upper face and eye region, and maxillary for the midface and upper teeth. Abducens is a separate cranial nerve (CN VI) responsible for lateral eye movement, not a division of the trigeminal nerve.