Digestion Animation

The mouth or oral cavity is formed by: - The hard and soft palates at the top or roof - the cheeks - the tongue - the lips Contains the teeth and salivary glands. The gingivae (gums) surround the necks of the teeth. The lingual frenulum is a thin fold of mucous membrane that connects the free portion of the tongue to the underlying epithelium. The tongue: is made of skeletal muscle and is covered with mucous membrane. It can be divided into: - the root - the pointed tip - a central body Papillae (elevations) and taste buds (sweet, salt, sour, and bitter) are located on the tongue’s surface. Three pairs of salivary glands secrete saliva into the oral cavity. Posterior margin of soft palate supports: - the dangling uvula - two pairs of muscular pharyngeal arches, which contain the palatine tonsils The passageway between the oral cavity and the pharynx is bounded by the fauces. Digestion begins as food is broken apart by the action of the teeth, moistened and lubricated by saliva, and formed into a bolus.

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