WikiMD is world's largest health encyclopedia with
28,597 pages, 3,995,032 edits & 34,400,011 views.
Mouth
Editor-In-Chief: Prab R. Tumpati M.D.. Founder, WikiMD and W8MD Weight Loss, Sleep and MedSpa Centers. Dr. Tumpati is board certified physician practicing sleep medicine, obesity medicine, aesthetic medicine and internal medicine. Dr. Tumpati’s passion is prevention rather than cure. As a physician with fellowship training in Obesity Medicine, Dr. Tumpati has a unique approach to wellness, weight loss, aesthetics with a focus on prevention rather than cure. Dr. Tumpati believes in educating the public on the true science and art of medicine, nutrition, wellness and beauty.
WikiMD Resources for Mouth |
Articles |
---|
Most recent articles on Mouth |
Media |
Powerpoint slides on Mouth |
Evidence Based Medicine |
Cochrane Collaboration on Mouth |
Clinical Trials |
Ongoing Trials on Mouth at Clinical Trials.gov
Trial results on Mouth Clinical Trials on Mouth at Google
|
Guidelines / Policies / Govt |
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Mouth
NICE Guidance on Mouth NHS PRODIGY Guidance
|
Books |
Books on Mouth |
News |
Mouth in the news |
Commentary |
Blogs on Mouth |
Definitions |
Definitions of Mouth |
Patient Resources / Community |
Patient resources on Mouth
Discussion groups on Mouth Patient Handouts on Mouth Directions to Hospitals Treating Mouth Risk calculators and risk factors for Mouth
|
Healthcare Provider Resources |
Symptoms of Mouth
Causes & Risk Factors for Mouth Diagnostic studies for Mouth |
Continuing Medical Education (CME) |
CME Programs on Mouth |
International / other languages |
Business |
Mouth in the Marketplace |
Experimental / Informatics |
List of terms related to Mouth |
Definition
The oral cavity includes the lips, hard palate (the bony front portion of the roof of the mouth), soft palate (the muscular back portion of the roof of the mouth), retromolar trigone (the area behind the wisdom teeth), front two-thirds of the tongue, gingiva (gums), buccal mucosa (the inner lining of the lips and cheeks), and floor of the mouth under the tongue.
Function
- The mouth, or oral cavity, is the first part of the digestive tract.
- It is adapted to receive food by ingestion, break it into small particles by mastication, and mix it with saliva.
Boundaries
The lips, cheeks, and palate form the boundaries.
Salivary secretions
The oral cavity contains the teeth and tongue and receives the secretions from the salivary glands.
Lips and Cheeks
The lips and cheeks help hold food in the mouth and keep it in place for chewing.
Role in speech
The mouth, tongue, cheeks, and vocal chords all play part in the formation of words for speech.
Testing texture of food
The lips contain numerous sensory receptors that are useful for judging the temperature and texture of foods.
Palate
- The palate is the roof of the oral cavity.
- It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity.
- The anterior portion, the hard palate, is supported by bone.
- The posterior portion, the soft palate, is skeletal muscle and connective tissue.
- Posteriorly, the soft palate ends in a projection called the uvula.
- During swallowing, the soft palate and uvula move upward to direct food away from the nasal cavity and into the oropharynx.
Tongue
The tongue manipulates food in the mouth and is used in speech. The surface is covered with papillae that provide friction and contain the taste buds.
Teeth
- A complete set of deciduous (primary) teeth contains 20 teeth.
- There are 32 teeth in a complete permanent (secondary) set.
- The shape of each tooth type corresponds to the way it handles food.
Common problems
Common problems with the oral cavity include:
- xerostomia or dry mouth - a lack of enough saliva, caused by some medicines and certain diseases
- Gum or tooth problems such as gingivitis, tooth decay or dental caries
- Cold sores - painful sores on the lips and around the mouth, caused by a virus
- Canker sores - painful sores in the mouth, caused by bacteria or viruses
- Thrush - a yeast infection that causes white patches in your mouth
- Leukoplakia - white patches of excess cell growth on the cheeks, gums or tongue, common in smokers
- Bad breath or halitosis
Latest research (Pubmed)
External links
WikiMD needs you!
This WikiMD article Mouth is a stub.
If you are a healthcare professional familiar with the topic Mouth, or
A subject matter expert or authority on Mouth, you can help us.
About | Mission | Paid editors welcome!
Mouth is part of WikiMD's Physician reviewed^ articles available 4free, 4all, 4ever! |
---|
Medicine: Health - Encyclopedia - Topics - Diseases - Cancer - Rare diseases - Random Page Navigation: Drugs - Wellness - Obesity - Diet - Ketogenic diet - W8MD weight loss diet - Editors: Recently Edited Pages - Alphabetical Order - Sponsors - USMLE The content on or accessible through WikiMD is for informational purposes only. WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. ^See full Disclaimers |
Ad. Tired of being overweight?. W8MD's insurance Weight loss program can HELP* |