normal and abnormal findings mouth and throat Flashcards
Q: What are normal findings for the lips?
A: Pink, moist, smooth; no cracks or lesions.
Q: What are abnormal findings for the lips?
A: Cheilitis (cracks at corners), herpes simplex (cold sores), pallor (shock/anemia), cyanosis (hypoxemia), cherry red (CO poisoning).
Q: What are normal findings for the teeth?
A: White, straight, evenly spaced; clean, free of debris or decay.
Q: What are abnormal findings for the teeth?
A: Dental caries, discolored teeth (brown with fluoride, yellow with smoking), grinding, malocclusion.
Q: What are normal findings for the gums?
A: Pink or coral with a stippled surface; tight margins.
Q: What are abnormal findings for the gums?
A: Bleeding, swelling (gingivitis), hyperplasia, dark line (lead poisoning), spongy or receding gums.
Q: What are normal findings for the tongue?
A: Pink, even; dorsal surface roughened with papillae; ventral surface smooth and moist.
Q: What are abnormal findings for the tongue?
A: Beefy red tongue (vitamin deficiencies), white coating (thrush), dry fissures (dehydration), macroglossia (enlarged tongue).
Q: What are normal findings for the buccal mucosa?
A: Pink, smooth, moist
Q: What are abnormal findings for the buccal mucosa?
A: Leukoplakia (white patch), candida infection (thrush), Koplik spots (measles), leukoedema (benign grey patches).
Q: What are normal findings for the palate?
A: Hard palate: white with transverse rugae; soft palate: pink and smooth.
Q: What are abnormal findings for the palate?
A: Yellow hard palate (jaundice), nodular ridge (torus palatinus), Kaposi’s sarcoma, cleft palate.
Q: What are normal findings for the uvula?
A: Midline position; rises symmetrically with “ahh” (cranial nerve X function intact).
Q: What are abnormal findings for the uvula?
A: Bifid uvula, deviation, absence of movement (nerve damage).
Q: What are normal findings for the tonsils?
A: Pink, same color as mucosa; surface with small crypts; graded 1+ to 2+ in healthy people.
Q: What are abnormal findings for the tonsils?
A: Enlarged, bright red, swollen tonsils with exudates (infection), white membrane (mono, diphtheria), crypt debris
Q: What are normal findings for the posterior pharyngeal wall?
A: Pink, smooth, no exudates or lesions.
Q: What are abnormal findings for the posterior pharyngeal wall?
A: Redness, swelling, exudates (pharyngitis), lesions, or masses
Q: What are normal findings for breath odor?
A: No unusual odor.
Q: What do abnormal breath odors indicate?
A: Fruity (ketoacidosis), ammonia (uremia), foul (infections), musty (liver disease), alcohol (ingestion).
Q: What are normal findings for swallowing?
A: Swallowing is smooth without pain or obstruction.
Q: What are abnormal findings for swallowing?
A: Painful swallowing (dysphagia), aspiration, food stuck in throat, wet voice, or drooling.
Q: What are normal findings for the voice?
A: Clear without hoarseness.
Q: What are abnormal findings for the voice?
A: Hoarseness, “lump in throat” sensation, or loss of voice (overuse, inflammation, lesions, nerve damage).
