The Oral Cavity | Digestive Anatomy (2024)

FAQs

What is the anatomy of the oral cavity? ›

The oral cavity proper is mostly filled with the tongue and bounded anteriorly and on the sides by the alveolar processes containing the teeth and posteriorly by the isthmus of the fauces. Anteriorly, the roof forms by the hard palate and posteriorly by the soft palate.

The oral cavity includes the lips, hard palate (the bony front portion of the roof of the mouth), soft palate (the muscular back portion of the roof of the mouth), retromolar trigone (the area behind the wisdom teeth), front two-thirds of the tongue, gingiva (gums), buccal mucosa (the inner lining of the lips and ...

The palate (hard & soft palate) forms the roof of the mouth and separates the oral & nasal cavities. The floor of the oral cavity consists of mucous membrane covering the mylohyoid muscle and is occupied mainly by the tongue. The lateral walls of the oral cavity are defined by the cheeks & retromolar regions.

The two main functions of the mouth are eating and speaking. Parts of the mouth include the lips, vestibule, mouth cavity, gums, teeth, hard and soft palate, tongue and salivary glands. The mouth is also known as the oral cavity or the buccal cavity.

The oral cavity or mouth is the first portion of the digestive tract and is bounded by the lips anteriorly, the fauces posteriorly, the cheeks laterally, the palate superiorly and a muscular floor inferiorly. The tongue fills the available space in the floor of the mouth within the arch of the lower teeth.

The mucous membrane that lines the structures within the oral cavity limits is known as oral mucosa. This is a wet soft tissue membrane that extends from the junction between the vermilion border of the lips and labial mucosa anteriorly to the palatopharyngeal folds posteriorly.

The oral cavity is lined by a mucous membrane (the oral mucosa) consisting of a stratified squamous epithelium, which may or may not be keratinized, and an underlying connective tissue layer, the lamina propria.

The oral cavity (see the image below) is oval shaped and is separated into the oral vestibule and the oral cavity proper. It is bound by the lips anteriorly, the cheeks laterally, the floor of the mouth inferiorly, the oropharynx posteriorly, and the palate superiorly.

The nerve supply comes from the branches of six cranial nerves, namely - the trigeminal nerve, facial nerve, glossopharyngeal nerve, vagus nerve, and the hypoglossal nerve, whereas the blood supply comes from the branches of the external carotid artery and the veins drain into the internal and external jugular veins.

What is the pathway of the oral cavity? ›

Now, the oral cavity is a space that extends from the inner surface of the lips to the beginning of the oropharynx, which is marked by the junction of the hard and soft palate above; the anterior pillars, or the palatoglossal arches, laterally; and the terminal sulcus of the tongue below.

In comparison to an oral ulcer, a fissure represents a deep groove or crack in the soft tissues, rather than a loss of the top layer of tissue.

Each tooth sets in a bony crypt, or socket. That portion of the maxilla and mandible that forms the sockets of the teeth is termed the alveolar process and is made up of cancellous bone enclosed within cortical plates. The alveolar bone is covered by specialized oral mucosa known as gingiva, or, more commonly, gums.

There are three main elements to any oral presentation: the words you say, the manner in which you say them and the visual support you provide. You will be assessed on all three elements. You will usually be expected to respond to audience questions at the end of your presentation and may be assessed on your response.

The oral cavity proper (cavitas oris propia) is divided in mucous tunic of the oral cavity (tunica mucosa oris), oral glands (glandulae oris), teeth (dentes), tongue (lingua), tongue muscles (musculi linguae), fauces (fauces), palate velum (soft palate), muscles: (musculi palate et faucium), the palate (palatum), ...