mouth, throat, abdomen

• Lips


  Form the entrance to the mouth
• Cheeks


  Form the lateral walls of the mouth, located within buccinator muscles, flatten cheeks against teeth, important for mastication (chewing)
• Tongue


  Forms the floor of the mouth, mass of muscle attached to the hyoid bone and styloid process
• Mouth and throat


  • Comprise the first part of the digestive system, receiving food (ingestion), serving as an airway for the respiratory tract, consists of the tongue, teeth, gums, and salivary glands
• Frenulum


  A fold or tissue that connects the tongue to the floor of the mouth
• Papillae


  Small bumps that cover the dorsal surface of the tongue
• Taste buds


  Carry sensory impulses to the brain
• Uvula


  Extension of the soft palate, hangs in the posterior midline of the oropharynx
• Mandible (jawbone)


  Provides the structural support for the floor of the mouth
• Gums (gingiva)


  Covered by mucous membrane, normally holds 32 teeth in adults and 20 for babies
• Teeth


  • Central incisor
  • Lateral incisor
  • Canine
  • First premolar
  • Second premolar
  • First molar
  • Second molar
  • Third molar (wisdom tooth)
• Crown


  Top, visible, white enameled part of each tooth
• Root


  Largest portion of the tooth that is embedded in the gums
• Neck


  Region of the tooth that connects the crown and root
• Salivary glands


  Produce saliva, a watery, serous fluid containing salts, mucus, and salivary amylase
• Salivary glands


  • Parotid glands
  • Submandibular glands
  • Sublingual glands
• Throat (pharynx)


  Located behind the mouth and the nose, serves as passageway for food and air
• Parts of the throat


  • Nasopharynx
  • Oropharynx
  • Laryngopharynx
• Palatine tonsils


  Masses of lymphoid tissue located on both sides of the oropharynx, help protect against infection
• Lingual tonsils


  Lie at the base of the tongue
• Pharyngeal tonsils (adenoids)


  Found high in the nasopharynx
• Tonsillectomy is the removal of palatine tonsils
• Adenoidectomy is the removal of pharyngeal tonsils
• Mouth and throat health issues


  • Mouth sores or lesions
  • Gingivitis
  • Periodontitis
  • Difficulty or painful swallowing
  • Dysphagia
  • Odynophagia
  • Hoarseness
• Addison disease can cause brown patches that may appear inside the cheeks
• Fordyce granules are normal, ectopic sebaceous glands that appear as yellowish-white popular lesions scattered across the oral mucous membrane
• Hairy leukoplakia is a raised whitish feathery area on sides of tongue that cannot be scraped off, seen in HIV and AIDS
• Enlarged tongue can indicate hypothyroidism, acromegaly, or Down syndrome
• Tooth decay (caries) appears as yellow or brownish teeth
• Leukoplakia appears as chalky white raised patches, pre-cancerous lesions
• Candida albicans (thrush) appears as small, white, curd-like patches that scrape off easily
• Torus palatinus is a normal bony protuberance in the midline of the hard palate
• Jaundice appears as a yellow tint of the hard palate
• Carcinoma of the lips appears as a round, indurated lesion that becomes crusted and ulcerated with an elevated border
• Carcinoma of the tongue appears as a round, indurated lesion that becomes crusty and ulcerated with an elevated border
• Leukoplakia of the ventral surface appears as thick, raised patches that do not scrape off
• Hairy leukoplakia of the lateral surface appears as raised, whitish, feathery areas
• Candida albicans infection (thrush) appears as curd-like patches that easily scrape off, leaving a reddened area
• Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause a smooth, reddish, shiny tongue
• Black hairy tongue appears as elongated filiform papillae, seen with use of antibiotics that inhibit normal bacteria