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We made a thorough observation of the morphology and course of the lingual nerve (LN) and inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) to clarify their topographical relationships in the infratemporal fossa and in the paralingual area. Thirty-two Korean hemi-sectioned heads were dissected macroscopically and microscopically from a clinical viewpoint. On the 32 tracings on the radiograph, the average distance between the retromolar portion and the LN was 7.8 mm, and no case was found where the LN ran above the alveolar crest as passing along the mandibular lingual plate. The bifurcation of the LN and IAN was located around the mandibular notch, inferior to the otic ganglion in 66% of the cases, and a plexiform branching pattern of the mandibular nerve was observed in only two cases. The bifurcation spot of the LN and IAN was located 14.3 mm inferior to the foramen ovale and 16.5 mm superior to the tip of …