The Tongue. Flashcards
What is the largest organ in the oral cavity?
The tongue.
What parts of the mouth does the tongue make contact with?
The hard palate.
The teeth.
The floor of the oral cavity.
What fixes the tongue into the mouth?
The root of the tongue.
Where is the root of the tongue located?
At the caudal most section of the oropharynx.
What part of the tongue is the free part of the tongue?
The more rostral part of the tongue.
What are the 3 important functions of the tongue?
Deglutition (swallowing).
Prehension.
Taste.
Is prehension a major function of the tongue in the dog and cat?
No.
What are the 3 components of the tongue?
The root.
The body.
The apex.
What part of the tongue is the apex?
The rostral most portion of the tongue.
What attaches the body of the tongue to the floor of the oral cavity?
The frenulum lingua.
What are the 2 projections on each side of the frenulum lingua?
Sublingual caruncles.
What occurs at the sublingual caruncles?
They allow for the opening of the ducts of the salivary glands in the mouth (mandibular and sublingual glands).
What bone is the caudal part of the tongue attached to?
The basihyoid bone of the hyoid apparatus.
What is the median sulcus of the tongue?
A groove that runs down the centre of the dorsal aspect of the tongue.
Why is the dorsal surface of the tongue very rough?
It allows the tongue to grip onto food to prevent it from falling out of the mouth.
What are the structures that makes the dorsal surface of the tongue so rough?
Papillae.
What are the 2 types of papillae that are found on the tongue?
Mechanical papillae.
Gustatory papillae.
What is the role of mechanical papillae?
They make up the rough surface of the tongue and prevent food from escaping.
What are the 2 types of mechanical papillae?
Filiform papillae.
Conical papillae.
Where are filiform papillae (mechanical) found on the tongue?
All over the dorsal aspect tongue.
Where are conical papillae (mechanical) found on the tongue?
On the caudal aspect of the tongue (in the oro-pharyngeal region).
Why do cats have rougher tongues than dogs?
As conical papillae are present on the rostral surface of the tongue.
What is the function of gustatory papillae?
They aid with taste.
What are the 3 classes of gustatory papillae?
Fungiform papillae.
Vallate papillae.
Foliate papillae.
Where are fungiform papillae found on the tongue?
All over the dorsal surface of the tongue.
Where are vallate papillae found in the mouth?
In the oropharynx.
Where are the foliate papillae found on the tongue?
On the sides and caudal aspect of the tongue.
What type of papillae are found in young animals and what is their function?
Marginal papillae.
These help young animals with suckling.
What is the lyssa of the tongue?
Rod shaped fibrous bodies that help give stability to the tongue.
What kind of animals will have a lyssa in their tongue?
Carnivores only.
Where is the lyssa found in the tongue?
At the rostral most aspect.
What are the 3 extrinsic muscles of the tongue?
The styloglossus muscle.
The hyoglossus muscle.
The genioglossus muscle.
What is the role of the styloglossus muscle?
It connects the tongue to the stylohyoid bone.
What is the role of the hyoglossus muscle?
It connects the tongue to the hyoid apparatus.
Where is the hyoglossus muscle found relative to the tongue?
On the ventral aspect of the tongue.
What is the function of the genioglossus muscle?
It connects the ventral aspect of the tongue to the mandible.
How many genioglossus muscles are associated with the tongue?
2, one on the right and one on the left.
These 2 muscles meet each other at the frenulum lingua.
What are the 3 areas of the intrinsic muscles of the tongue?
The superficial longitudinal fibres.
The deep longitudinal fibres.
The transverse and perpendicular fibres.
What are the intrinsic muscles are responsible for?
The internal movements of the tongue.
Extrinsic muscles will extend or retract the tongue.
Where will the arteries that supply the tongue enter the tongue?
On the ventral aspect.
What is the major artery of the tongue?
The lingual artery.
The lingual artery is a branch of what other artery?
The external carotid artery.
What vein drains blood from the tongue?
The lingual facial vein.
The lingual facial vein is a tributary of what vein?
The maxillary vein.
What vein drains the tip of the tongue?
The superficial ventral vein.
What are the 5 nerves that innervate the tongue?
The chordates tympani and lingual nerves.
The glossopharyngeal nerve.
The vagal and glossopharyngeal nerves.
What nerve allows us to taste food?
The chorda tympani.
The lingual nerves are branches of what nerve?
The tri-geminal nerves.
What are the lingual nerves responsible for?
General sensory information e.g. sensing hard objects.
What is the function of the glossopharyngeal nerve?
It is a cranial nerve that is responsible for taste in the oro-phrayngeal section of the tongue.
What nerves innervate the caudal most part of the tongue?
The vagal and glossopharyngeal nerves.
What nerve innervates the extrinsic muscles of the tongue?
The hypoglossal nerve.
