Oral glands

All mammals are well supplied with oral glands. There are labial glands of the lips, buccal glands of the cheeks, lingual glands of the tongue, and palatine glands of the palate. Besides these, there are larger paired salivary glands. The parotid gland, near each ear, the submaxillary or submandibular gland lies along the posterior part of the lower jaw; its duct opens well forward under the tongue. The sublingual gland lies in the floor of the mouth. Saliva is a fluid containing a mixture of all the oral secretions. It contains mucus, proteins, salts, and the enzymes. Tonsils are spongy lymphoid tissues at the back of the throat, composed mainly of lymphocytic cells held together by fibrous connective tissue. There are three types of tonsils. The palatine tonsils, usually referred to as «the tonsils», are visible between the arches that extend from the uvula to the floor of the mouth. The pharyngeal tonsils, usually referred to as the adenoids, lie at the back of the throat. The lingual tonsils are on the upper surface of each side of the back of the tongue. The tonsils function to protect the pharynx and the remainder of the body from infectious organisms.

Notes:

Overview

The oral cavity is sometimes called the buccal cavity. It contains both primary and accessory organs of digestion. The mouth is designed to support chewing, swallowing and speech. Two rows of teeth are supported by the maxilla above and the mandible below. Teeth are surrounded by gums. Other structures that aid chewing are the lips, cheeks, tongue, hard palate, soft palate, and floor of the mouth. The hard palate forms the anterior portion of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate separates the mouth from the pharynx. The functions of the tongue are swallowing, speech, taste and cleansing the mouth. There are three sets of salivary glands: the parotid, the submandibular and the sublingual glands.

Lesson 8

Tooth Anatomy