Assessing sinuses and mouth

• Hard palate


  The front, bony part of the roof of the mouth
• Soft palate


  Forms partition between the mouth and nasopharynx and is made of muscle arranged in an arch

  
• Uvula


  Suspended from the soft palate arch and closed the nasopharynx while swallowing
• Tongue


  • Is a solid mass of skeletal muscle covered by a mucous membrane
  • Extremely maneuverable
  • Important for mastication and deglutition
  • Lingual frenulum anchors the tongue to the floor of the mouth

  
• Salivary glands


  • Secrete approximately 1 liter of saliva each day
  • Buccal glands contribute less than 5% of total salivary volume but provide for hygiene and comfort of oral tissues
  • Parotid glands are the largest of the paired salivary glands and produce watery saliva containing enzymes
  • Submandibular glands contain enzyme and mucous-producing elements
  • Sublingual glands are the smallest of the salivary glands and produce a mucous type of saliva
• Teeth


  Organ of mastication
• Lips


  • Color and condition
  • Midline
  • Symmetrical
  • Skin intact
• Teeth


  • 28 teeth or 32 if the four third molars, or wisdom teeth, are erupted
• Angular cheilitis starts with softening of the skin at the angles of the mouth, followed by fissuring. It may be due to nutritional deficiency or, more commonly, to overclosure of the mouth, seen in people with no teeth or with ill-fitting dentures.
• Actinic cheilitis results from excessive exposure to sunlight and affects primarily the lower lip. Fair-skinned men who work outdoors are most often affected
• Chancre is an oval or round dark red lesion or papule on indurated base
• Angioedema is self-limited, localized subcutaneous (or submucosal) swelling, which results from extravasation of fluid into interstitial tissues. Angioedema may occur in isolation, accompanied by urticaria, or as a component of anaphylaxis.
• Herpes simplex is a common viral infection that presents with localised blistering. It affects most people on one or more occasions during their lives.
• Oral mucosa and gums

  • Pink, moist, intact mucosa
  • Gums consistent in color with other mucosa
  • Gums intact
  • No bleeding
  • Smooth and moist without lesions or swelling
• Tongue


  • Pink and moist
  • Papillae Intact
  • Mucosa Intact with no lesions or discolorations
  • Freely and symmetrically mobile
• Dental caries is another name for tooth decay
• Mottled enamel is a condition in which the enamel of the teeth appears a flat, opaque white, may be stained yellow, brown or black, and in addition may have a corroded surface
• Mouth cancer is where a tumour develops in a part of the mouth. It may be on the surface of the tongue, the inside of the cheeks, the roof of the mouth (palate), the lips or gums.
• Leukoplakia is a white plaque that does not wipe off. Usually it is hyperkeratosis or dysplasia/carcinoma
• Gingival hyperplasia is gingival enlargement. Usually, painless enlargement of the gingiva more commonly located in the anterior and buccal regions of the mouth.
• Gum recession is when the location of the marginal tissue is apical to the cemento-enamel junction with exposure of the root surface
• Allergic stomatitis is an oral mucosal immunoinflammatory disorder variably characterized clinically by erythematous plaques, vesiculation, ulceration, and/or hyperkeratosis and by pain, burning sensation, or itchiness.
• Aphthous ulcers are small, shallow lesions that develop on the soft tissues in your mouth or at the base of your gums.

  
• Absence of papillae is a condition characterised by absence of filiform or fungiform papillae on the dorsal surface of the tongue. Consequently, the ordinary texture and appearance of the dorsal tongue, determined by papillary protrusion, turns into a soft and smooth aspect.
• Black, hairy tongue is a temporary, harmless oral condition that gives the tongue a dark, furry appearance. The distinct look usually results from a buildup of dead skin cells on the many tiny projections (papillae) on the surface of the tongue that contain taste buds.

  
• Hypertrophy and discoloration of papillae is a benign disorder of the tongue characterized by abnormally hypertrophied and elongated filiform papillae on the surface of the tongue.
• Tongue cancer is a form of cancer that begins in the cells of the tongue. Several types of cancer can affect the tongue, but tongue cancer most often begins in the thin, flat squamous cells that line the surface of the tongue
• Oropharynx


  • Mucosa is pink, moist, intact
  • The lymphoid-rich posterior wall may have a slightly irregular surface
  • No lesions, erythema, swellings, exudate, or discharge

  
• Tonsils


  • Symmetrical, pink, clean crypts
• Post nasal drainage is when more mucus than normal gathers and drips down the back of your throat
• A gray membrane is a thick, gray membrane covering the throat and tonsils

  
• White or pale patches of exudates with erythemic mucosa is an inflammation in the lining of the digestive tract.
• Exudative pharyngitis is a bacterial throat infection that can cause inflammation of the tonsils and the production of tonsillar exudates. The exudates are typically white or yellow in color and may have a very foul odor.
• Erythema of the pharynx is typical in viral pharyngitis. The degree of erythema does not correlate with the degree of soreness. Exudate can be present but is generally less effusive than in bacterial pharyngitis.
• Scattered vesicles is an infection of the mouth and throat
• Hypertrophic tonsil


  Tonsil, with or without exudates
• Acute infection or tonsillitis

  Acute infection of the palatine tonsils
• Lymphoid cobblestoning


  • Usually due to irritation from postnasal drip, which refers to extra mucus dripping down the back of your throat
• Crypts may have normal variation of small food particles
• Post nasal drainage


  When more mucus than normal gathers and drips down the back of your throat