The mouth is the name for the body cavity and associated soft tissues in the head. The mouth plays an important role as the initial part of the digestive tract. It also performs functions in voice production and respiration.
What is the mouth?
Schematic diagram showing the anatomy of the mouth and throat. Click to enlarge. In humans, the “mouth” is called the mouth. Functionally, it is nevertheless a mouth, as it is in most animals. Primarily, the mouth is used for food intake, but also for communication, tasting and breathing. To avoid diseases in the mouth, regular oral hygiene is appropriate. This naturally includes daily dental care. Common diseases in the interior of the mouth are the oral mucosa inflammation, a burning tongue and various dental diseases.
Anatomy and structure
The human mouth consists of the oral fissure enclosed by the lips, the oral vestibule, and the oral cavity, which contains the teeth in addition to the floor of the mouth, tongue, and palate. The oral fissure is the front opening of the mouth enclosed by the two lips. It leads into the oral vestibule. The oral vestibule is the space between the lips or cheeks and the teeth. The excretory ducts of the parotid, sublingual and mandibular salivary glands open into the oral vestibule. In addition to many tiny glands in the oral mucosa, these three large glands are responsible for saliva production. The space inside the rows of teeth is called the oral cavity. The oral cavity is bounded by the soft and hard palate, the floor of the mouth muscles between the two branches of the lower jaw, the pharynx, and the incisors and canines. It is lined with mucosa, which is firmly fused to the periosteum at the dental processes of the upper and lower jaws. The oral mucosa forms the gums there. A large part of the oral cavity is occupied by the tongue. The rear part of the tongue, the root of the tongue, is firmly fused to the floor of the mouth. The rest of the tongue is freely movable and consists of the body and tip of the tongue. In the center of the underside of the tongue is the lingual frenulum, which holds the tongue to the floor of the mouth. The roof of the oral cavity and at the same time the floor of the nasal cavity is formed by the palate. There are two parts: the hard palate and the soft palate. The hard palate forms the front part of the oral cavity and consists of processes of the upper jaw bone. The soft palate comprises the rear third of the palate. In its center lies the so-called uvula.
Functions and tasks
A major function of the mouth is to absorb, break down, and digest food. The mouth forms the initial part of the digestive tract. By chewing in the mouth, food is broken down and made slippery by saliva to allow passage down the esophagus into the stomach. The saliva also contains enzymes that break down starch and thus prepare the food for further digestion. Once a bite of food is well chewed, it is shaped by the tongue and pushed further towards the pharyngeal cavity, from where it then enters the esophagus. The soft palate closes off the nasal cavity from the pharynx, preventing liquids or food pulp from entering the nasal cavity. The mouth also plays an important role in voice production. It is part of the so-called vocal tract (also called the embouchure tube). The vocal tract is used to produce sounds and is also the main resonance chamber of the head. All organs of the vocal tract, including the tongue, lips, teeth, palate, soft palate and uvula, are involved in voice production. The tongue, in particular, significantly determines articulation through its position. Another important function of the mouth is breathing. Normally, breathing takes place through the nose, but during physical exertion or in the case of diseases of the nasal tract, the mouth takes over this vital function. In this process, air is drawn in through the mouth and then enters the lower respiratory tract, i.e., the bronchi and lungs.
Diseases and ailments
Diseases of the mouth are usually caused by a weakness of the immune system of the oral cavity. In particular, changes in the oral flora can lead to susceptibility to infection. The result is, for example, so-called aphthae. Aphtae are painful, reddened inflammatory mucosal changes covered with a coating, which can become the size of a lentil. They often occur in groups, but are usually harmless.The herpes virus causes oral thrush, a painful inflammation of the oral mucosa accompanied by fever. This disease tends to occur in children and only in rare cases in adults. Fungi can also cause inflammation of the oral cavity. These so-called candidoses occur mainly in immunocompromised patients (e.g. HIV infection or after chemotherapy). Malignant tumors that occur in the area of the mouth are called oral cavity carcinoma. Almost half of these oral cavity carcinomas are localized in the area of the floor of the mouth. Malignant tumors of the mouth are ranked 6th most common cancer worldwide.