Oral Anatomy Quiz

The space between the teeth and gums, lips, and cheeks. It communicates with the exterior through the oral fissure.

The space between the upper and lower dental arches, containing the teeth. It is bounded by the dental arches, palate, and communicates with the oropharynx.

The process of chewing food.

The voluntary movement of food from the oral cavity to the pharynx.

A lump of food formed in the oral cavity by chewing and mixing with saliva, ready for swallowing.

The roof of the oral cavity, formed by the hard palate in the front and the soft palate in the back.

The part of the digestive system that connects the oral cavity to the esophagus.

The involuntary phase of swallowing, moving the food bolus through the pharynx and down the esophagus.

The tissue that covers the alveolar bone, appears pink, stippled, and keratinizing.

The smooth, shiny, red tissue that attaches to the gingiva proper.

Teeth that erupt first and are replaced by permanent teeth.

Teeth that replace deciduous teeth and are permanent in adulthood.

The process of speech production.

The outermost layer of a tooth, covering the crown.

The inner layer of a tooth, beneath the enamel.

The surface of a tooth that faces the lips or cheeks.

The surface of a tooth that faces the tongue.

The surface of a tooth that faces the midline of the mouth.

The surface of a tooth that faces away from the midline of the mouth.

The chewing surface of a tooth.

The connective tissue that anchors the tooth to the socket.

The part of the tooth that is embedded in the alveolar bone.

A fibrous joint that connects the roots of teeth to the bone of the alveolar process.

The tissue surrounding the tooth, composed of collagen fibers, blood vessels, and nerves.

The bony wall separating the sockets of adjacent teeth.

The bony wall dividing the roots of a multirooted tooth within its socket.

The soft, living tissue within the tooth, containing nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue.

The fleshy folds surrounding the mouth, extending from the nose to the chin. They contain muscles, vessels, and nerves, and are covered by skin externally and mucous membrane internally.

Movable walls of the oral cavity, continuous with the lips. They contain the buccinator muscle and buccal fat pads, particularly prominent in infants.

Structures that surround the teeth, firmly attached to the jawbone and the tooth necks. They are covered with mucous membrane.

The part of the gingiva that is directly attached to the jawbone and tooth necks. It's firm and helps keep the teeth in place.

The central groove that extends from the upper lip to the nose, splitting the upper lip into two halves.

The transition zone of the lips, ranging from brown to red, where the skin meets the mucous membrane. It's what we typically consider the 'lip.'

The outer edge of the lips, where the transitional zone meets the skin.

The vertical fold of mucous membrane extending from the upper or lower lip to the gingiva in the midline.

The lining of the cheeks and lips, covering the inside of the mouth.

The vertical groove between the chin and the lower lip.

The groove between the nose and the upper lip.

The main muscle of the cheeks, responsible for sucking and chewing. It helps keep food between the teeth.

Fat pads located superficially to the buccinator muscle, which are particularly large in infants to support their cheeks while sucking.

The opening between the oral cavity and the pharynx, surrounded by the soft palate, tongue root, and palatoglossal/palatopharyngeal arches.

The narrow space connecting the oral cavity proper and the oropharynx, bounded by the palatoglossal and palatopharyngeal folds.

Lymph tissue masses, one on each side of the oropharynx, located in the tonsillar sinus, bounded by the palatoglossal and palatopharyngeal arches and the tongue.

A curved, free margin of the soft palate, hanging down as a conical process.

The movable, posterior third of the palate, suspended from the hard palate, lacking bony skeleton, strengthened by the palatine aponeurosis.

The fibrous structure that strengthens the soft palate, attaching to the hard palate edge, thick anteriorly, thin posteriorly.

The arches formed by the muscles that connect the soft palate to the tongue (Palatoglossal Arch) and the soft palate to the pharynx (Palatopharyngeal Arch).

The hard, bony portion of the palate, formed by the palatine processes of the maxillae and the horizontal plates of the palatine bones.

The space between the soft palate and the back of the throat, allowing for breathing through the mouth.

The soft palate's role in blocking the isthmus of the fauces during breathing, preventing food from entering the nasal cavity.

The soft palate's role in helping the tongue move food towards the pharynx during swallowing.

The five muscles located at the back of the roof of the mouth that control the soft palate.

The muscle that tenses the soft palate and opens the Eustachian tube.

The muscle that lifts the soft palate during swallowing and yawning.

The muscle that pulls the soft palate onto the tongue during swallowing.

The muscle that pulls the walls of the pharynx upwards and inwards during swallowing.

The muscle that shortens and lifts the uvula.

The main artery that supplies blood to the palate.

The smaller artery that supplies blood to the palate.

The nerve that provides sensation to most of the hard palate.

The nerve that provides sensation to the anterior part of the hard palate.

The nerves that provide sensation to the soft palate.

The attached posterior portion of the tongue, extending between the mandible, hyoid bone, and the back of the tongue.

The anterior, free part of the tongue, constituting the major part of the tongue's mass.

The front tip of the tongue, which rests against your teeth when you close your mouth.

The upper surface of the tongue, which bears the taste buds and many small projections (papillae).

The underside of the tongue, usually resting against the floor of the mouth.

A V-shaped groove on the back of the tongue, marking the division between the anterior and posterior parts.

A small non-functional remnant of the embryonic thyroglossal duct, located at the bottom of the terminal sulcus.

A midline groove on the anterior part of the tongue, dividing it into two halves.

Small, mushroom-shaped projections on the tongue, containing taste buds and scattered among the filiform papillae.

Long, numerous, scaly projections on the tongue, containing nerve endings sensitive to touch.

Large, flat-topped projections on the back of the tongue, containing taste buds.

Small, lateral folds of the tongue's mucosa, poorly developed in humans.

A collection of lymphoid nodules on the posterior part of the tongue, giving it an irregular appearance.

The anterior two-thirds of the tongue, located in the oral cavity proper.

The posterior third of the tongue, located in the oropharynx. It's the most movable part.

The midline fold connecting the inferior surface of the tongue to the floor of the mouth, allowing the tongue to move freely.

The small, raised area on each side of the base of the lingual frenulum, containing the opening of the submandibular duct.

A deep vein visible through the thin mucous membrane on each side of the lingual frenulum.

The main mass of the tongue, composed of multiple muscles covered by mucosa.

Muscles that originate outside the tongue and attach to it, primarily moving the tongue but also influencing its shape.

Muscles confined within the tongue, altering its shape without directly moving it.

A fibrous septum separating the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of the tongue in each half.

A fibrous structure that the median fibrous lingual septum merges with posteriorly.

The action of making the tongue short and thick, retracting the protruded tongue.

The action of making the tongue long and narrow, pushing it against the incisor teeth or protruding it from the open mouth.

Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII), except for the palatoglossus muscle.

Pharyngeal plexus.

Lingual nerve, a branch of CN V3.

Chorda tympani nerve, a branch of CN VII.

Lingual branch of the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX).

Internal laryngeal nerve, a branch of the vagus nerve (CN X).

A fan-shaped muscle that forms the bulk of the tongue, responsible for various tongue movements like depression, protrusion, and retraction.

A thin, quadrilateral muscle located on the side of the tongue, responsible for depressing and retracting the tongue.

A small, triangular muscle that retracts and elevates the sides of the tongue, contributing to tongue curling during swallowing.

A narrow, crescent-shaped muscle that forms part of the soft palate and helps constrict the opening between the mouth and throat.

The thin layer deep to the mucous membrane of the tongue's dorsal surface, responsible for curling the tongue upwards.

A narrow band near the inferior surface of the tongue responsible for curling the tongue downwards.

A deep muscle located under the superior longitudinal muscle, responsible for narrowing and protruding the tongue.

A muscle located in the submucosal layer of the tongue, responsible for flattening and broadening the tongue.

The main artery supplying the tongue, originating from the external carotid artery.

A branch of the lingual artery that provides blood to the root of the tongue and the palatine tonsil.

Arteries that supply blood to the body of the tongue.

Arteries that supply blood to the floor of the mouth and sublingual glands.

Lymph from the root of the tongue drains to the superior deep cervical lymph nodes.

Lymph from the medial part of the tongue drains to the inferior deep cervical lymph nodes.

Lymph from the lateral parts of the tongue drains to the submandibular lymph nodes on the same side.

The tongue's dorsal surface is drained by the dorsal lingual vein, which empties into the deep lingual vein, and then travels down into the internal jugular vein.

A large vein that runs deep within the tongue, collecting blood from the dorsal and deep lingual veins.

The primary vein carrying blood from the head and neck region back to the heart.

A nerve responsible for controlling and coordinating tongue movement.

A small vein travelling alongside the hypoglossal nerve, carrying blood away from the tongue.

A large, U-shaped bone in the neck that serves as a point of attachment for tongue muscles.

A vein located beneath the tongue, collecting blood from the sublingual salivary glands.

A viscous fluid produced by salivary glands, aiding in lubrication, digestion, and oral hygiene.

The largest salivary gland, located near the ear.

A salivary gland located beneath the jaw bone, responsible for producing a significant portion of saliva.

A small salivary gland situated under the tongue.

A small tube that carries saliva from the submandibular gland to the mouth.

A nerve that extends from the facial nerve and carries taste information from the tongue to the brain.

A collection of nerve cells located near the submandibular gland, responsible for regulating salivary gland function.