This document provides an overview of the anatomy of the oral cavity. It describes the oral vestibule and oral cavity proper, including their boundaries and characteristics. It then discusses the palate, soft palate, tongue and their blood supply, lymphatic drainage, nerve supply and muscles. The palate forms the roof of the oral cavity and consists of the hard and soft palate. The tongue is composed of muscles, glands, tissue and papillae and is involved with tasting, chewing, swallowing and speaking.

1. ANATOMY OF
ORAL CAVITY

2. 1. Oral Vestibule
- lies between the gums and the teeth.
2. Oral Cavity Proper
- lies behind and within the arch of teeth.

3. Oral Vestibule
Boundaries:
1. Anteriorly by the lips,
2. Laterally by the cheeks,
3. Superiorly by the
mucolabial and
mucobuccal folds, and
4. Posteriorly and
medially by the teeth
and gums.

4. Boundaries:
1. Anteriorly and laterally by the
teeth and gums,
2. Superiorly by the palate (hard and
soft),
3. Inferiorly by the tongue and the
floor of the mouth, and
4. Posteriorly by the opening into the
pharynx.

5. Characteristics:
1. Anterior 2/3 of the tongue,
2. Lingual frenulum,
3. Lingual vein,
4. Sublingual caruncle,
5. Sublingual folds
6. Fimbriated fold

6. BLOOD SUPPLY
Mouth is supplied by
branches from
 Facial Artery
 Inferior Alveolar Artery
 Maxillary Artery
 Infraorbital Artery
 Postero superior alveolar
arteries

7. Lymphatic Supply

8. PALATE
The palate forms the
superior wall or the roof of
the oral cavity proper.
It is composed of the hard
palate which has an osseous
base, and behind, a soft
palate composed of fibrous
tissue.

9. SOFTPALATE
Tensor veli palatini Tenses the soft palate; opens the
pharyngotympanic tube
Levator veli palatini Only muscle to elevate the soft palate
above the neutral position
Palatopharyngeus
Depresses soft palate; moves
palatopharyngeal arch toward midline;
elevates pharynx
Palatoglossus Depresses palate; moves palatoglossal
arch toward midline; elevates back of the
tongue
Musculus uvulae
Elevates and retracts uvula; thickens
central region of soft palate
MUSLE FUNCTION
A. Tensor veli palatini muscles and the palatine
aponeurosis. B. Levator veli palatini muscles. C.
Palatopharyngeus muscles

10. Blood supply of Soft palate

11. VENOUS DRAINAGE AND LYMPHATICS

12. NERVESUPPLYOFPALATE
• All muscles of soft palate are supplied by Vagus nerve [X]
via pharyngeal branch to pharyngeal plexus
• Except Tensor palatini muscle which is supplied by
Mandibular nerve.
• Sensory supply is derived from lesser palatine branches of
the sphenopalatine ganaglion and from the branches of
glossopharyngeal nerve.
• Secretomotor from Suprior salivary N. through greater
petrosal nerve

13. tongue
“A mobile mass of muscles lying on the floor of the mouth and
associated with the function of taste, chewing, swallowing, and
speaking”.
TONGUE CONSISTS OF
• Mucous membrane
• Mucous glands
• Lymphoid tissue
• Fat
• Striated muscle fibres
• Fibrous tissue

14. PAPILLAE
 Circumvallate papillae are arranged in a
row parallel to and in front of sulcus
terminalis
 Fungiform papillae are numerous at the
tip and margin of the tongue.
 Filliform papillae are prevalent on the
dorsum of the tongue arranged in rows
parallel to sulcus terminalis

15. Muscles of the tongue
INTRINSIC MUSCLES
MUSCLE FUNCTION
SUPERIOR Shortens tongue; curls
apex and sides of
tongue
INFERIOR Shortens tongue;
uncurls apex and turns
it downward
TRANSVERSE Narrows and elongates
tongue
VERTICAL Flattens and widens
tongue All intrinsic muscles are supplied by
Hypoglossal nerve

16. EXTRINSIC MUSCLES
GENIOGLOSSUS
Protrudes tongue;
depresses center of tongue

17. HYOGLOSSUS
Depresses tongue

18. STYLOGLOSSUS
Elevates and
retracts tongue

19. PALATOGLOSSUS
Depresses palate;
Moves palatoglossal fold toward
midline;
Elevates back of the tongue

20. Arteries:
 Lingual artery
 Tonsillar branch of facial artery
 Ascending pharyngeal artery
Veins:
 Lingual vein, ultimately drains
into the internal jugular vein Hypoglossal
nerve
Lingual
artery &
vein
Deep
lingual vein
Dorsal lingual
artery & vein

21. BLOOD AND NERVE SUPPLY

22. Tip:
• Submental nodes
bilaterally & then deep
cervical nodes
Anterior two third:
• Submandibular
unilaterally & then deep
cervical nodes
Posterior third:
• Deep cervical nodes
(jugulodigastric mainly)

23. NERVE SUPPLY OF TONGUE

24. REFERENCE
 Textbook of Ear, Nose, Throat and Head & Neck Surgery Clinical and Practical
3rd Edition By : P. Hazarika , D.R . Nayak, R. Balakrishnan
 Gray’s Anatomy for Students
2nd edition By : Richard L Drake , A Wayne Vogl , Adam W M Mitchell

25. THANKYOU