The maxillary nerve is one of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve

Trigeminal nerve

The trigeminal nerve contains both sensory and motor fibres. It is responsible for sensation in the face and certain motor functions such as biting, chewing, and swallowing. Sensory information from the face and body is processed by parallel pathways in the central nervous system...

, the fifth cranial nerve. It comprises the principal functions of sensation from the maxillary

Maxilla

The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...

, nasal cavity

Nasal cavity

The nasal cavity is a large air filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face.- Function :The nasal cavity conditions the air to be received by the other areas of the respiratory tract...

, sinuses

Sinus (anatomy)

Sinus is Latin for "bay", "pocket", "curve", or "bosom". In anatomy, the term is used in various contexts.A sinus is a sack or cavity in any organ or tissue, or an abnormal cavity or passage caused by the destruction of tissue...

, the palate

Palate

The palate is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but, in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly separate. The palate is divided into two parts, the anterior...

 and subsequently that of the mid-face, and is intermediate, both in position and size, between the ophthalmic nerve

Ophthalmic nerve

The ophthalmic nerve is one of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve, the fifth cranial nerve. The ophthalmic nerve carries only sensory fibers.-Branches:*Nasociliary nerve**sensory root of ciliary ganglion**posterior ethmoidal nerve...

 and the mandibular nerve

Mandibular nerve

The mandibular nerve is the largest of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve.-Roots:It is made up of two roots:* a large sensory root proceeding from the inferior angle of the trigeminal ganglion....

. Its function is the transmission of sensory fibers from the maxillary teeth, the skin between the palpebral fissure

Palpebral fissure

Palpebral fissure is the anatomic name for the separation between the upper and lower eyelids. In adults, this measures about 10mm vertically and 30mm horizontally.It can be reduced in horizontal size by fetal alcohol syndrome and in Williams Syndrome...

 and the mouth

Mouth

The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....

, and from the nasal cavity and sinuses.
Anterior to the trigeminal ganglion

Trigeminal ganglion

The trigeminal ganglion is a sensory ganglion of the trigeminal nerve that occupies a cavity in the dura mater, covering the trigeminal impression near the apex of the petrous part of the temporal bone.-Relations:It is somewhat crescentic in shape, with its convexity...

, the maxillary nerve passes through the cavernous sinus

Cavernous sinus

The cavernous sinus , within the human head, is a large collection of thin-walled veins creating a cavity bordered by the temporal bone of the skull and the sphenoid bone, lateral to the sella turcica.-Contents:...

 and exits the skull

Human skull

The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...

 through the foramen rotundum

Foramen rotundum

The foramen rotundum is a circular hole in the sphenoid bone that connects the middle cranial fossa and the pterygopalatine fossa.-Structure:...

.
It begins at the middle of the trigeminal ganglion

Trigeminal ganglion

The trigeminal ganglion is a sensory ganglion of the trigeminal nerve that occupies a cavity in the dura mater, covering the trigeminal impression near the apex of the petrous part of the temporal bone.-Relations:It is somewhat crescentic in shape, with its convexity...

 as a flattened plexiform band, and, passing horizontally forward, it leaves the skull through the foramen rotundum

Foramen rotundum

The foramen rotundum is a circular hole in the sphenoid bone that connects the middle cranial fossa and the pterygopalatine fossa.-Structure:...

, where it becomes more cylindrical in form, and firmer in texture.

It then crosses the pterygopalatine fossa

Pterygopalatine fossa

The pterygopalatine fossa is a fossa in the skull. It is the indented area medial to the pterygomaxillary fissure leading into the sphenopalatine foramen.-Boundaries:It has the following boundaries:...

, inclines lateralward on the back of the maxilla

Maxilla

The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...

, and enters the orbit through the inferior orbital fissure

Inferior orbital fissure

Not to be confused with the infraorbital groove, infraorbital canal, and infraorbital foramen.The lateral wall and the floor of the orbit are separated posteriorly by the inferior orbital fissure which transmits the maxillary nerve and its zygomatic branch, and the ascending branches from the...

; it traverses the infraorbital groove and canal in the floor of the orbit, and appears upon the face at the infraorbital foramen

Infraorbital foramen

Above the canine fossa is the infraorbital foramen, the end of the infraorbital canal; it transmits the infraorbital artery, vein, and infraorbital nerve.-External links: *...

.