MOUTH The mouth, also referred to as the oral or buccal cavity, can be said as the entrance to gastrointestinal tract.

It is formed by the cheeks, hard and softpalates, and tongue. In the human body, the mouth is a specialized organ for receiving food and breaking up large organic masses. In the mouth, food is changed mechanically by biting and chewing. Chemical digestion also happens in the mouth with the help of enzymes in saliva. The mouth is bound anteriorly by the teeth and lips and posteriorly by the oropharynx, the oral part of the pharynx or throat.[1]

Figure 3. Structure of the Mouth [1] In the mouth, the cheeks form the lateral walls of the oral cavity. They are covered externally by skin and internally by a mucous membrane. Buccinator muscles and connective tissue lie between the skin and mucous membranes of the cheeks. The lips or labia contain the orbicularis oris muscle and are covered externally by skin and internally by a mucous membrane. During chewing, contraction of the buccinator muscles in the cheeks and orbicularis oris muscle in the lips helps keep food between the upper and lower teeth. These muscles also assist in speech. The palate, wall that separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity and forms the roof of the mouth consists of hard palate and soft palate. The hard palate is formed by the maxillae and palatine bones and is covered by a mucous membrane; it forms a bony partition between the oral and nasal cavities. The soft palate is an arch-shaped muscular partition between the oropharynx and nasopharynx that is lined with mucous membrane. The uvula is a conical muscular process hanging from the free border of the soft palate. During swallowing, the soft palate and uvula are drawn superiorly, closing off the nasopharynx and preventing swallowed foods and liquids from entering the nasal cavity.[1]