Anterior
The front of an area
Posterior
The back of an area
Ventral
Directed toward anterior
Dorsal
Directed toward posterior
Superior
Toward head, away from feet
Inferior
Toward feet away from head
Apex
A tip, plural is apices
Median or Midsagittal
Dividing into right and left halves
Sagittal Plane
Parallel to median into right and left segments
Frontal or Coronal Plane
Dividing into anterior and posterior parts
Horizontal Plane
Dividing superior and inferior, always perpendicular to median plane
Median
Structure located at the median plane
Medial
Closer to median plane, also named mesial
Lateral
Farther from median plane
Proximal
Closer to median plane or point of attachment
Distal
Farther from median plane or point of attachment
Ipsilateral
Located on same side of the body
Contralateral
Structure located on the opposite side of the body
Superficial
Toward the surface
Deep
Away from the surface
Internal
Inner side of a structure
External
Outside of a structure
Midsagittal Section
Division through median plane, also called median section
Frontal Section
Division through the frontal plane, also called coronal section
Transverse Section
Division through the horizontal plane, also called horizontal section
Frontal Region
Forehead area, superior to eyes. Top of head
Supraorbital Ridge
Ridge of bone directly above the eyes
Glabella
The smooth elevated surface between eyebrows
Frontal Eminence
Prominence of the forehead
Parietal
Right behind frontal
Occipital
Right behind parietal
Temporal
Side of head, temple
Auricular Region
Outline of the exterior of the ear
Auricle
External ear
External Acoustic Meatus (EAM)
Opening of the ear
Helix
Superior and posterior free margin of auricle
Lobule
Fleshy protuberance of lower auricle
Tragus
Smaller flap of tissue anterior to the external acoustic meatus
Antitragus
Other flap of tissue opposite of the tragus
Intertragic Notch
Deep notch between tragus and antitragus
Orbital Region
Contains the eyeball and its supporting structures
Orbit
Bone cavity that contains the eyeball
Sclera
White of the eyeball
Iris
Central area of color in the eyeball
Pupil
Center of the iris, appears black
Two moveable eyelids
Upper and lower eyelid
Lacrimal Gland
Behind each upper eyelid deep within orbit, they produce tears
Conjunctiva
Thin membrane lining inside of eyelids and front of eyeball
Lateral Canthus
Outer corners of eyelid
Medial Canthus
Inner corner of eyelid, angle of the eye
Infraorbital region
Below the eye, inferior to the orbit and lateral to the nose
Nasal Region
External nose
Root of nose
Located between the eyes
Nasion
Inferior to the glabella, corresponds with the junction between the underlying bones
Bridge of the nose
Inferior to nasion, bony structure
Ala
Winglike cartilage structure the bounds the nares
Apex
Tip of the nose
Nostril/ Nares
Inferior to the apex, on both sides of the nose
Zygomatic Region
Area where you apply blush
Zygomatic arch
Cheekbone
Zygomatic/ Temporal bone
Formed from the zygomatic arch, extends up to the ear
Tempomandibular Joint (TMJ)
Between temporal bone and mandible
Located inferior to the zygomatic arch, and anterior to the ear
Buccal Region
Cheek itself
Masseter muscle
Felt when a patient clenches their teeth
Angle of the mandible
The sharp angle of lower jaw, inferior to the lobule of the ear
What are the golden proportions?
Hairline
Bipupital Line
Nose Line
Chin Line
Oral Region
Includes lips, oral cavity, palate, tongue, floor of mouth, and parts of the throat or pharynx
Vermillion Zone
The clean defined line where the skin meets the lip
Mucocutaneous Junction
Junction between the vermillion border of th slips and the surrounding skin
Philtrum
The vertical groove extending superior to the midline o the upper lip upward to the nasal septum (where you highlight your lip)
Tubercle of the upper lip
Inferior to the philtrum, the midline of the upper lip terminates in a thicker area
Labial Commissure
Where the upper and lower lips meet at the corner of the mouth
Nasolabial Sulcus or groove
Groove running upward between each labial commissure and each ala (the actual depression)
Nasolabial Fold
On each side of the nasolabial sulcus and fold of skin, when you age they become more prominent
Labiomental groove
Separate the lower lip from the chin in the mental region (what accentuates the butt chin)
Oral Cavity
Inside the mouth
Maxilla
Upper jaw
Mandible
Lower jaw
What are the orientational terms in oral cavity?
Facial (Front of teeth)
Labial (Teeth closest to lips, front surface still)
Buccal (Inner cheek side)
Lingual (Bottom tongue side)
Palatal (Top tongue side closest to the palate)
Mucous membrane or oral mucosa
Thin lining of the oral cavity
Labial Mucosa
Inner parts of the lip lining
Bucal Mucosa
Pink lining of the inner cheeks
Parotid Papilla
On the inner buccal mucosa, this is a small elevation of tissue that protect she duct opening from the parotid salivary glad (puffy part of cheek, little flab of tissue where saliva comes out)
Maxillary Tuberosity
Right behind back top teeth (wisdom teeth area)
Retromolar pad
Right behind bottom back teeth (wisdom teeth area)
Maxillary and Mandible vestibules
Upper and lower horseshoes shape spaces in the oral cavity
Vestibular Fornix
Depp within each vestige (where snuff goes)
Mucobuccal fold
Where the pink and thick labial or buccal mucosa meets the redder and thinner alveolar mucosa
Alveolar Mucosa
Redder and thinner skin/flesh in the oral cavity
Labial frenum or frenulum
Fold soft tissue located at the midline. That top part of you’re lip the is in between the two frontal incisors
Alveolus
Tooth socket
Gingiva
Firm light pink mucosa
Attache gingiva
Gingiva that adheres to the bone around the roots of the teeth
Marginal gingiva
Free gingiva (Ridge right by the tooth, part of the attached gingiva)
Gingival Sulcus
Inner surface of the marginal gingiva, gum in between two teeth
Interdental Gingiva
Gingival tissue between adjacent teeth adjoining attache gingiva (gum in between teeth)
Interdental papilla
The very tip of gingiva in-between two teeth
Mucogingival junction
The scalloped shaped line between the firm pink attached gingiva, and the movable redder alveolar mucosa
Palate
Roof of the mouth
Hard palate
The firm, white, anterior part of the roof of the mouth
Incisive Papilla
Small bulge of tissue at the the most anterior part of the hard palate
Palatine Rugae
Directly posterior to the incisive papilla, has firm irregular ridges of tissue
Soft palate
Yellow and looser posterior part of the palate
Uvula
Muscular structure that hangs from the posterior margin of the soft palate
Median palatine Raphe
Midline ridge of tissue on the hard palate, runs from the incisive papilla to the uvula
pterygomandibular fold
Fold of tissue that extends from the junction of the hard and soft palates on each side down to the mandible, just posterior to the most distal mandibular molar and stretches when the patient opens its mouth wider
Tongue
The most prominent feature in the oral cavity
What are the three regions of the tongue?
Base
Body
Apex
Base
This is the posterior third, it marks the base of the tongue or the pharyngeal part. The base of the tongue attaches to the floor of the mouth. IT DOES NOT LIE WITHIN THE ORAL CAVITY, BUT WITHIN THE OROPHARYNX
It is not considered very mobile and a terminal v shaped sulcus or groove separates the body from the base of the tongue
Anterior two-thirds
This is the body of the tongue, it lies within the oral cavity
Apex of tongue
The tip of the tongue
Dorsum
The dorsal or superior surface of the tongue
Ventral surface of tongue
Can be visualized by lifting the tongue
What are the lingual papillae of the tongue?
Filiform (no taste buds but help perceive texture)
Fungiform
Foliate
Circumvallate
These are structures of specialized mucosa involved with taste
Filiform lingual papillae
The slender, threadlike papillae. Give the dorsal surface its velvety texture
Fungiform lingual papillae
Red mushroom shaped dots, larger in size then the filiform papillae
Foliate lingual papillae
Side or lateral surface of the tongue, known for its vertical ridges. These contain taste buds
Median lingual sulcus
The dorsal surface of the tongue has a midline depression, corresponding with the position of a midline tendious band deep within the tongue
Sulcus terminalis
V shaped groove, located posterially on the dorsal surface of the tongue
Foramen cecum
Where the sulcus terminalis points backward toward the throat in a small pitlike depression
Circumvallate lingual papillae
Line up on the anterior side of the sulcus terminalis on the body of the tongue
Lingual tonsil
Irregular mass of lymphoid tissue on each side of the throat
Plica fimbriata
Lateral to the deep lingual veins that have fringe like projections
Floor of the mouth
Located inferior to the ventral surface of the tongue
Sublingual fold
Ridge of tissue on each side of the floor of the mouth
Sublingual caruncle
On the anterior end of each sublingual fold that contains the duct openings from both the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands
Pharynx
The oral cavity provides the entrance into the throat or pharynx
What are the three parts of a pharynx
Nasopharynx (Part that is superior to the level of the soft palate)
Oropharynx (Between the soft palate and the opening of the larynx)
Laryngopharynx (Located more inferior, close to lateral opening, not visible in an intraoral examination)
Epiglottis
Behind the base the tongue, and infant of the oropharynx, it is a flap of cartilage
Fauces
Opening of the oral region into the oropharynx
Anterior and Posterior faucial pillar
These faces are formed laterally on each side of the folds of tissue (also called the tonsillar pillars or palatal arches)
Palatine tonsils
Located between each of the anterior and posterior faucial pillars or folds of tissue created by underlying muscles
Mental region
The chin itself
Mental protuberance
The prominence of the chin
Cervical triangle
Regions of the neck can be divided into different cervical triangles, with each triangle containing structures that are palpated during an extra oral examination
Sternocleidomastoid Muscle (SCM)
Divides each side of the neck diagonally into an anterior cervical triangle and posterior cervical triangle
Laryngeal prominence
Largest of the larynx’x cartilage, the Adams Apple
