Oral Cavity Flashcards
(49 cards)
Oral cavity
Consists of two portions: Oral vestibule and oral cavity (proper)
Oral Vestibule
Slit-like space between lips and teeth. Contains labial frenula pterygomandibular raphe, and parotid papilla

Labial frenula
Folds of mucous membrane between gingiva and mucosa of upper/lower lips. Attaches lip to maxillary ridge

Pterygomandibular Raphe
Junction area between buccinator and superior constrictor muscles

Parotid Papilla
Opening of the parotid duct inside the oral vestibule. Opposite the second maxillary molar

Boundaries of the Oral Cavity Proper
Lateral: Upper and lower dental arches (maxillary and mandibular teeth), Posterior: Opening in the back of the oral cavity, Roof: hard and soft palates, and Floor lined with mucous membrane along with its contents

Posterior boundary of oral cavity
Place for communication with the oropharynx, components/contents: oropharyngeal isthmus, palatopharyngeal arch, palatoglossal arch, and palatine tonsils
Oropharyneal isthmus
Found in the posterior portion of the oral cavity. Connecting area between the oral cavity and pharynx

Palatopharyngeal Arch
Found in the posterior portion of the oral cavity. More posteromedial than the palatopharyngeal arch. Formed by the underlying palatopharyngeus muscle

Palatoglossal Arch
Found in the posterior portion of the oral cavity. More anterolateral than the palatopharyngeal arch. Formed by the underlying palatoglossus muscle.

Palatine Tonsils
Found in the posterior portion of the oral cavity. Lymphoid tissue, bounded by the palatoglossal and palatopharyngeal arches.

Hard palate
Formed by palatine process of the maxilla and horizontal plates of palantine bone. Contains: incisive foramen, greater and lesser palatine foramen, palatine glands, and palatine rugae
Incisive foramen
Nasopalatine nerve and sphenopalatine artery pass through

Greater palatine foramen
Greater palatine vessels and nerve pass through to supply the mucosa of the hard palate

Lesser palatine foramen
Lesser palatine vessels and nerve pass through to supply the mucosa of the soft palate

Palatine glands
small glands located in the mucosa of the hard palate. Purely mucous glands

Palatine Rugae
Transverse folds of the mucus membrane holding the hard palate. Help facilitate the movement of food backwards toward the pharynx

Soft Palate
Soft tissue in the back of the roof of the oral cavity. Does not contain bone. Contains 5 muscles important for swallowing and breathing: levator veli palatini, tensor veli palatini, palatoglossus, palatopharyngeus, and musculus uvulae

Levator veli palatini
Muscle from eustachian tube to palatine aponeurosis (connective tissue of the soft palate). Raises (levator, duh) the soft palate during swallowing. Supplied by CN IX, X, XI

Tensor Veli Palatini
Muscle from eustachian tube to palatine aponeurosis (connective tissue of the soft palate). Tenses (tensor, duh) the soft palate. Its tendon hooks around the pterygoid hamulus. Supplied by CNV

Palatoglossus
From palatine aponeurosis of soft palate to side of the tongue. Forms the palatoglossal arch. Classified as a muscle of the palate rather than a tongue muscle. Supplied by pharyngeal plexus (CN IX, X, and XI)

Palatopharyngeus
From the palatine aponeurosis of soft palate to upper part of the wall of the pharynx. Forms the palatopharyngeal arch. Supplied by CN IX, X, XI

Musculus Uvulae
A finger-like process at the posterior part of the soft palate. Inserts into the muscosa of the soft palate, lies entirely in the uvula. Shortens and broadens the uvula, and changes the contour of the posterior part of the soft palate.
Floor of the Mouth
Lined with a thin mucus membrane. Mucosa allows the drugs (e.g. nitroglycerine for vasodilation) to be absorbed into venous system in less than a minute. Contents include lingual frenulum, sublingual papilla, submandibular ducts, sublingual fold, sublingual gland and partially the tongue

















