Primary muscle involved in chewing?

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Multiple Choice

Primary muscle involved in chewing?

Masseter is the primary muscle involved in chewing. Its main job is to elevate the mandible, closing the jaw with the greatest bite force and enabling the grinding and crushing of food. It attaches from the zygomatic arch to the angle and lower ramus of the mandible, giving it a strong lever for lifting the jaw. The temporalis also helps close the jaw, but mainly assists with jaw positioning and retracting the mandible, rather than generating the bulk of the chewing power. The buccinator tightens the cheek to keep food between the teeth while chewing, not to close the jaw. The risorius moves the corners of the mouth for expressions, not for chewing. So the masseter is the key muscle for chewing.

Masseter is the primary muscle involved in chewing. Its main job is to elevate the mandible, closing the jaw with the greatest bite force and enabling the grinding and crushing of food. It attaches from the zygomatic arch to the angle and lower ramus of the mandible, giving it a strong lever for lifting the jaw. The temporalis also helps close the jaw, but mainly assists with jaw positioning and retracting the mandible, rather than generating the bulk of the chewing power. The buccinator tightens the cheek to keep food between the teeth while chewing, not to close the jaw. The risorius moves the corners of the mouth for expressions, not for chewing. So the masseter is the key muscle for chewing.

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