Mouth (Oral Cavity) Structure Quiz

Mouth (Oral Cavity) Structure

• The mouth, also known as the oral or buccal cavity, consists of skeletal muscles forming the cheeks, covered externally by skin.
• The lips (labia) are muscles covered externally by skin and internally by a mucous membrane. The inner surface of each lip is attached to its corresponding gum by a midline fold of mucous membrane called the labial frenulum.
• The space between the cheeks and lips externally and the gums and teeth internally is the oral vestibule.
• The oral cavity proper extends anteriorly from the gums and teeth to the fauces and posteriorly to the oropharynx.
• The roof of the mouth (palate) is divided into two parts.
  • The anterior two-thirds, which forms the hard palate, is covered by mucous membrane and is formed by the maxillae and palatine bones.
  • The posterior one-third forms the soft palate, a muscular partition covered by mucous membrane, separating the nasal cavity from the oral cavity.
• The soft palate hangs down, ending in a finger-like process called the uvula.
• Two muscular folds, the palatoglossal arch and the palatopharyngeal arch, are located on either side of the base of the uvula and extend to the sides of the base of the tongue. These arches are located between the fauces and the pharynx.