Oral cavity

The oral cavity (mouth) is sometimes called the buccal cavity. It contains both primary and accessory organs of digestion. The mouth is designed to support chewing, swallowing and speech. Two rows of teeth are supported by facial bones of the skull, the maxilla above and the mandible below. Teeth are surrounded by gingiva, or gums. The gums are made of fleshy tissue and surround the sockets in which the teeth are found. In addition to the teeth, other structures that aid chewing are the lips, cheeks, tongue, hard palate, soft palate, and floor of the mouth.

The cheeks form the walls of the oval-shaped mouth cavity, while the lips form the opening to this cavity. The hard palate forms the anterior portion of the roof of the mouth. The muscular soft palate lies posterior to it and separates the mouth from the pharynx (throat). Rugae are the irregular ridges in the mucous membrane covering the anterior portion of the hard palate. A small, soft tissue, hanging from the soft palate, is called uvula. It is composed of connective tissue and muscle and aids in the production of sounds and speech.

The tongue extends across the floor of the oral cavity and is attached by muscles to the mandible. It moves food around during mastication and swallowing. The tongue is covered with a series of small projections called papillae which contain cell sensitive to the chemical nature of food. The functions of the tongue are swallowing, speech, taste and cleansing the mouth. There are three sets of salivary glands: the parotid, the submandibular and the sublingual glands. These glands secrete saliva for proper mixing of food and provide enzymes to start chemical digestion. Saliva is released from the salivary glands through narrow ducts which carry the saliva into the mouth. The protective tissue of the oral cavity is called mucosa or mucous membrane.

 

Ex.11. Translate the following words and word-combinations into English:

Ротова порожнина, губи, щоки, ясна, язик, тверде піднебіння, м’яке піднебіння, язичок, нижня щелепа, верхня щелепа, слинні залози, слизова оболонка, привушна залоза, під’язична залоза, сполучна тканина, вузька протока.

 

Ex.12. Insert the missing words:

1. The oral cavity is sometimes called the _______ cavity. 2. The teeth are supported by _____ bones of the skull. 3. The lips form the _______ to the oral cavity. 4. The hard palate forms the ________ portion of the roof of the mouth. 5. The soft palate separates the _______ from the _______. 6. The tongue is attached by _______ to the mandible. 7. There are three sets of salivary glands: the parotid, the ______________ and the sublingual glands.

 

Ex.13. Answer the questions:

1. What organs compose the oral cavity? 2. What bones are the teeth supported by? 3. What is the hard palate? 4. What does the soft palate separate? 5. What is uvula? 6. What is uvula composed of? 7. What is the tongue covered with? 8. What are the functions of the tongue? 9. What salivary glands do you know? 10. What is the function of saliva? 11. What is the protective tissue of the oral cavity?