Unit #2: Digestion

Ingestion (1)

“The Oral Cavity”

Cheek (aka Buccal Tissue)

Lips

Vestibule

• A Structural Support organ designed to support the oral cavity and hold food

• Lined with glands that secrete mucous that lubricates food

• A Structural Support organ designed to hold food and to keep food in the mouth during chewing

• The gap between the lips and teeth

Teeth

Gums (aka the Gingiva)

• Primary agent of mechanical digestion in the mouth

• Used to grind and break up food

• Tissue that surrounds and supports the teeth an teeth tissues

Hard Palate

Soft Palate

Tonsils

• The “roof” of the mouth supported by bone

• The “roof” of the mouth supported by skeletal muscle

• Part of the immune system of the body

• Acts as a “filter” for foreign material in the mouth

Pharynx

Epiglottis

Eustachian Tube

• A muscle group that co-ordinates swallowing

• Controls the intersection between the digestive and respiratory system

• Flap like tissue that prevents food from entering the Trachea (wind pipe)

• Equalizes pressure between the middle ear, throat and nasal cavities

Sublingual Salivary Glands

• 1 of 3 sets of Salivary Glands in the mouth

• Produces Saliva

• Saliva contains the enzyme Salivary Amylase which chemically breaks down Starches (Chemical Digestion)

• Saliva also contains enzymes that clean surfaces of the mouth (teeth, gums, cheeks)

• Saliva also is used to lubricate food

Tongue • The Primary Organ of the Oral Cavity

• 2 Major Parts

• The Root

• This portion of the tongue contains a series of muscle tissues an nerve endings that link the tongue to the rest of the body’s nervous system

• The Body

• This portion of the tongue is involved in “eating” and “drinking”

• On the surface of the body of the tongue are openings called Papillae which are commonly referred to as “Taste Buds”

• Taste buds provide important “triggers” for digestive responses