Oral Cavity

Question 1

What are the boundaries of the oral cavity?

Answer 1

soft lateral wall: buccinator & superior pharyngeal constrictor
hard lateral wall: teeth, mandible, maxilla, palatine bones
roof: maxilla, palatine bones, muscle of soft palate
floor: mandible, muscle of tongue, mylohyoid muscle
posterior: soft palate

Question 2

What are the muscles of the soft palate?

Answer 2

tensor veli palatini
levator veli palatini
palatoglossus
palatopharyngeus
musculus uvulae

Question 3

What is the action of tensor veli palatini?

Answer 3

tenses soft palate and opens eustachian tube

Question 4

What is the action of levator veli palatini?

Answer 4

elevates soft palate during swallowing

Question 5

What is the action of palatoglossus?

Answer 5

elevates posterior part of tongue and draws soft palate to tongue

Question 6

What is the action of palatopharyngeus?

Answer 6

tenses soft palate and pulls walls of pharynx superior/anterior/medial

Question 7

What is the action of musculus uvulae?

Answer 7

shortens uvula and pulls it superiorly

Question 8

What passes through the incisive fossa?

Answer 8

branches of nasopalatine nerve

Question 9

What provides motor innervation to the extrinsic muscles of the tongue?

Answer 9

CN XII, hypoglossal nerve, with one exception - palatoglossus is innervated by vagus

Question 10

What muscle is the only protruder of the tongue?

Answer 10

genioglossus

Question 11

The maxillary branch of CN V supplies the ____ of the oral cavity, and the mandibular branch of CN V supplies the ____ of the oral cavity

Answer 11

maxillary branch: roof

mandibular branch: floor

Question 12

Describe the relationship of the lingual nerve, hyoglossus muscle, and hypoglossal nerve.

Answer 12

lingual nerve enters the tongue before the hypoglossal nerve enters the tongue
the duct has NO BRANCHES (is smooth) and goes to the opening of the duct
“The lingual nerve took a swerve across the hyoglossus.
What the (blank) said Wharton’s duct, the dirty bastard crossed us!”

Question 13

What are the 3 salivary glands of the oral cavity?

Answer 13

parotid, submandibular, sublingual

Question 14

What are the roles of the trigeminal nerve in deglutition?

Answer 14

motor: mastication
sensory: lips, cheek

Question 15

What are the roles of the facial nerve in deglutition?

Answer 15

motor: obicularis oris, buccinator
sensory: anterior 2/3 of tongue

Question 16

What are the roles of the glossopharyngeal nerve in deglutition?

Answer 16

motor: naso and oropharynx
sensory: posterior 1/3 of tongue

Question 17

What are the roles of the hypoglossal nerve in deglutition?

Answer 17

motor: intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of tongue
sensory: tongue proprioception

Question 18

What is notable about the innervation of the teeth & gingiva?

Answer 18

maxilla innervation: teeth & gingiva matched

mandible innervation: teeth & gingiva mismatched

Question 19

What arteries supply the roof and floor of the oral cavity?

Answer 19

roof: maxillary artery
floor: lingual artery

Question 20

What are the 3 main veins that drain the oral cavity?

Answer 20

retromandibular vein
internal jugular vein
lingual vein

Question 21

What are the two sets of tonsils associated with the oral cavity?

Answer 21

palatine tonsil

lingual tonsil