Dr.

Zeenat Zaidi
 Extends from the lips to
the oropharyngeal
isthmus
• The oropharyngeal
isthmus:
 Is the junction of
mouth and pharynx.
 Is bounded:
 Above by the soft palate
and the palatoglossal
folds
 Below by the dorsum of
the tongue
 Subdivided into Vestibule
& Oral cavity proper
 Slitlike space between the
cheeks and the gums
 Communicates with the
exterior through the oral
fissure
 When the jaws are
closed, communicates
with the oral cavity
proper behind the 3rd
molar tooth on each side
 Superiorly and inferiorly
limited by the reflection
of mucous membrane
from lips and cheek onto
the gums
 The lateral wall of the
vestibule is formed by
the cheek
• The cheek is
composed of
Buccinator muscle,
covered laterally by
the skin & medially
by the mucous
membrane
 A small papilla on the
mucosa opposite the
upper 2nd molar tooth
marks the opening of
the duct of the parotid
gland
 It is the cavity within
the alveolar margins of
the maxillae and the
mandible
 Its Roof is formed by
the hard palate
anteriorly and the soft hard
palate posteriorly
 Its Floor is formed by soft palate
the mylohyoid muscle.
The anterior 2/3rd of the
tongue lies on the floor.

mylohyoid
 Covered with mucous
membrane
 In the midline, a
mucosal fold, the
frenulum, connects the
tongue to the floor of
the mouth
 On each side of frenulum
a small papilla has the
opening of the duct of
the submandibular gland
 A rounded ridge
extending backward &
laterally from the papilla
is produced by the
sublingual gland
o Sensory
 Roof: by greater palatine and nasopalatine
nerves (branches of maxillary nerve)
 Floor: by lingual nerve (branch of mandibular
nerve)
 Cheek: by buccal nerve (branch of mandibular
nerve)

o Motor
 Muscle in the cheek (buccinator) and the lip
(orbicularis oris) are supplied by the branches of
the facial nerve
 Mass of striated muscles
covered with the mucous
membrane
 Divided into right and left
halves by a median
septum
 Three parts:
• Oral (anterior ⅔)
• Pharyngeal (posterior
⅓)
• Root (base)
 Two surfaces:
• Dorsal
• Ventral
 Divided into anterior two
third and posterior one
third by a V-shaped
sulcus terminalis.
 The apex of the sulcus
faces backward and is
marked by a pit called
the foramen cecum
 Foramen cecum, an
embryological remnant,
marks the site of the
upper end of the
thyroglossal duct
 Anterior two third:
mucosa is rough, shows
three types of papillae:
 Filliform
 Fungiform
 Vallate
 Posterior one third: No
papillae but shows
nodular surface
because of underlying
lymphatic nodules, the
lingual tonsils
 Smooth (no papillae)
 In the midline
anteriorly, a mucosal
fold, frenulum
connects the tongue
with the floor of the
mouth
 Lateral to frenulum,
deep lingual vein can
be seen through the
mucosa
 Lateral to lingual vein,
a fold of mucosa forms
the plica fimbriata
 The tongue is
composed of two
types of muscles:
• Intrinsic
• Extrinsic
 Confined to tongue
 No bony attachment
 Consist of:
• Longitudinal fibers
• Transverse fibers
• Vertical fibers
 Function: Alter the
shape of the tongue
 Connect the tongue to
the surrounding
structures: the soft
palate and the bones
(mandible, hyoid
bone, styloid process)
 Include:
• Palatoglossus
• Genioglossus
• Hyoglossus
• Styloglossus
 Function: Help in
movements of the
tongue
 Protrusion:
 Genioglossus on both sides acting together
 Retraction:
 Styloglossus and hyoglossus on both sides
acting together
 Depression:
 Hyoglossus and genioglossus on both sides
acting together
 Elevation:
 Styloglossus and palatoglossus on both sides
acting together
 Anterior ⅔:
• General sensations:
Lingual nerve
• Special sensations :
chorda tympani
 Posterior ⅓:
• General & special
sensations:
glossopharyngeal nerve
 Base:
• General & special
sensations: internal
laryngeal nerve
 Intrinsic muscles:
 Hypoglossal nerve

 Extrinsic muscles:
 All supplied by the
hypoglossal nerve,
except the
palatoglossus
 The palatoglossus
supplied by the
pharyngeal plexus
 Arteries:
Dorsal lingual
 Lingual artery Lingual
artery & vein artery & vein

 Tonsillar branch
of facial artery
 Ascending
pharyngeal artery
 Veins:
 Lingual vein,
ultimately drains Hypoglossal
Deep lingual
vein
into the internal nerve

jugular vein
 Tip:
• Submental nodes
bilaterally & then
deep cervical nodes

 Anterior two third:

 Posterior third:
• Deep cervical nodes
(jugulodigastric
mainly)
 The tonge is the most important
articulator for speech production.
During speech, the tongue can
make amazing range of
movements
 The primary function of the

tongue is to provide a
mechanism for taste. Taste buds
are located on different areas of
the tongue, but are generally
found around the edges. They
are sensitive to
four main tastes:
Bitter, Sour,
Salty & Sweet
 The tongue is needed for
sucking, chewing,
swallowing, eating,
drinking, kissing, sweeping
the mouth for food debris
and other particles and for
making funny faces
(poking the tongue out,
waggling it)
 Trumpeters and horn &
flute players have very well
developed tongue muscles,
and are able to perform
rapid, controlled
movements or articulations
 Lacerations of the
tongue
 Tongue-Tie
(ankyloglossia) (due
to large frenulum)
 Lesion of the
hypoglossal nerve
• The protruded tongue
deviates toward the
side of the lesion
• Tongue is atrophied &
wrinkled
‘If there is goodness in your heart,
it will come to your tongue’.
 Lies in the roof of
the oral cavity
 Has two parts: hard

• Hard (bony)
palate soft palate
anteriorly
• Soft (muscular)
palate
posteriorly
 Lies in the roof of the
oral cavity
 Forms the floor of
the nasal cavity
 Formed by:
• Palatine processes
of maxillae in front
• Horizontal plates of
palatine bones
behind
 Bounded by alveolar
arches
 Posteriorly,
continuous with
soft palate
 Its undersurface
covered by
mucoperiosteum
 Shows transverse
ridges in the
anterior parts
 Attached to the posterior
border of the hard palate
 Covered on its upper and
lower surfaces by mucous
membrane
 Composed of:
• Muscle fibers
• An aponeurosis
• Lymphoid tissue
• Glands
• Blood vessels
• Nerves
 Fibrous sheath
 Attached to posterior
border of hard palate
 Is expanded tendon
of tensor velli
palatini
 Splits to enclose
musculus uvulae
 Gives origin &
insertion to palatine
muscles
 Tensor veli palatini
• Origin: spine of sphenoid; auditory
tube
• Insertion: forms palatine
aponeurosis
• Action: Tenses soft palate
 Levator veli palatini
• Origin:petrous temporal bone,
auditory tube, palatine aponeurosis
• Insertion: palatine aponeurosis
• Action: Raises soft palate
 Musculus uvulae
• Origin: posterior border of hard
palate
• Insertion: mucosa of uvula
• Action: Elevates uvula
 Palatoglossus
• Origin: palatine aponeurosis
• Insertion: side of tongue
• Action: pulls root of tongue
upward, narrowing
oropharyngeal isthmus

 Palatopharyngeus
• Origin: palatine aponeurosis
• Insertion: posterior border
of thyroid cartilage
• Action: Elevates wall of the
pharynx
 Mostly by the
maxillary nerve
through its
branches:
• Greater palatine
nerve
• Lesser palatine nerve
• Nasopalatine nerve
 Glossopharyngeal
nerve supplies the
region of the soft
palate
 All the muscles, except tensor veli
palatini, are supplied by the:
• Pharyngeal plexus

 Tensor veli palatini supplied by the:

 Ascending palatine,
branch of the facial
artery

 Ascending pharyngeal,
branch of the external
carotid artery
 Cleft palate:
• Unilateral
• Bilateral
• Median
 Paralysis of the soft
palate Pharyngeal
isthmus
• The pharyngeal
isthmus can not be
closed during
swallowing and
speech
LOVE NATURE

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