Which maxillary division branches on the face?

• A. Infraorbital nerve
• B. PSA
• C. MSA
• D. ASA

Answer: (A)

In this topic, the key idea is how branches of the maxillary division reach their target areas. The infraorbital nerve is the one that actually emerges onto the face. It travels through the infraorbital canal and exits at the infraorbital foramen, giving sensation to the cheek, lower eyelid, side of the nose, and upper lip. Its dental branches—anterior and middle superior alveolar nerves—arise as it passes, supplying the front upper teeth, but the nerve itself becomes a facial landmark by crossing onto the facial surface.

The other nerves listed stay within the maxilla or the sinus region and do not exit onto the facial surface in the same way. The posterior superior alveolar nerve serves the back teeth from the posterior maxilla, while the anterior and middle superior alveolar components mainly travel within the bone and dental arches rather than onto the face. Therefore, the nerve that branches on the face is the infraorbital nerve.