Oral Structures Flashcards
Oral cavity
Oral cavity proper - area within teeth and gums
Vestibule - area located outside teeth and gums but inside lips and cheeks - also referred to as buccal cavity
Palatoglossal fold/arch
Caudal boundary of oral cavity
Courses between tongue and soft palate
Located between oral cavity and oropharynx
Tongue
Regions:
-Root - caudal third
-Body - middle region
-Apex - free part, tip
Papillae
-Filiform - small, numerous; predominantly located on body and apex
-Conical - located on root of tongue
-Fungiform - Mostly located on apex and body of tongue; few on root
-Foliate - laterally located on root of tongue
-Vallate (circumvallate) - located at junction of body and root of tongue (4-6 in dog); arranged in V formation
Feline tongue
Filiform papillae are caudally directed and highly keratinized - rough tongue
Structures of the tongue
Lingual frenulum - ventrally located; attaches base of tongue to mouth
Lyssa - Located along apex of tongue, ventrally along midline; functions as a stretch receptor and provides skeletal support for tongue (J shaped in dog, helical shaped in cat). Surgical removal does not make any changes to tongue
Sublingual caruncle - paired (right and left); small papilla lateral to lingual frenulum on which monostomatic sublingual and mandibular salivary ducts drain
Salivary glands
Major:
-Parotid
-Zygomatic
-Mandibular
-Sublingual
Minor:
-Buccal
-Labial
-Palatine
-Lingual
Secretions: Serous, mucous, mixed
Functions: Produce enzymes and other products to aid in digestion, moistening, and lubrication of ingested material
Innervations: parotid and zygomatic - glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX); Mandibular and sublingual - facial nerve (CN VII)
Parotid salivary glands
Located at junction of head and neck, ventral to ear canal; V-shaped
Parotid duct courses over masseter muscle - passes through buccal mucosa and drains into vestibule of oral cavity at the level of caudal margin of upper 4th premolar
Zygomatic salivary gland
May also be referred to as dorsal buccal or orbital gland
Located ventral to the eye, deep to zygomatic arch
Ducts drain into the vestibule of oral cavity near last molar tooth, just caudal to parotid duct opening
Ventral buccal salivary gland
May also be referred to as molar or buccal salivary gland
Present in cat; usually not present in dog
Mandibular salivary gland
Located caudal to angle of mandible, between maxillary and linguofacial veins
Palpable
Duct leaves medial surface of gland, courses ventral to sublingual salivary duct, and drains into floor of oral cavity at sublingual caruncle
Sublingual salivary gland
Monostomatic portion
-Closely related to rostral end of mandibular salivary gland
-Extends rostrally along sublingual salivary duct
-Enclosed in same fibrous capsule and mandibular salivary glands
-Drained by sublingual salivary duct: drains into floor of oral cavity at sublingual caruncle
Polystomatic portion
-6-12 small lobules located beneath oral mucosa on each side of body of the tongue
-Drains into microscopic ducts that open directly into oral cavity
Salivary mucocele or sialocele
Irregular discharge of secretory material into surrounding area, resulting in swelling of neck/orbital region
Results from damage to duct or gland
Most often caused by mandibular and sublingual salivary glands
Palate
Divided into hard (bony) palate and soft palate
Located on dorsally of oral cavity
Partition separating respiratory and digestive passages of the head
Incisive papilla
-Located on hard palate just caudal to incisors
-Oral opening of incisive ducts
Vomeronasal organ
Plays role in sexual behavior and social communication - detects pheromones
Plays part in Flehmen response (olfactory reflex, lip-curl)
Opens rostrally into incisive duct which courses through the palatine fissure between nasal and oral cavities
Oral opening of incisive ducts are located lateral to incisive papilla
Teeth parts
Crown
-Exposed portion above gingiva
-Covered in enamel
-Enamel bulge is widening at base of crown
Neck
-Most coronal region of root - between enamel bulge and attached gingiva
-Location of cementoenamel junction
Root
-Located below gingiva
-Embedded in alveolar bone
-Apex of root is root tip
Periodontal ligament - attaches tooth to alveolar bone
