26.

Oral cavity – Inferior and anterior walls (including clinical significance)

INFERIOR WALL
- It’s not the tongue.
- It is a small u-shaped region situated beneath the moveable
tongue and above the diaphragm formed by mylohyoid
muscle.
- Mylohyoid together with anterior belly of digastric will also
support in opening of the jaw.
- Mylohyoid = innervated by the nerve to mylohyoid (from
mandibular)
- Anterior belly of the digastric = innervated by the facial
nerve (post. belly) and by the nerve to mylohyoid (ant. belly)
- They also elevate the hyoid bone and move it forward
during swallowing.
FLOOR OF THE ORAL CAVITY
- On floor of the oral cavity we can find the sublingual papilla/caruncle or Wharton duct,
where the ducts of the sublingual gland and submandibular gland open into.
- The frenulum of the tongue is continuous with the mucosa of the oral floor.
- The floor of the mouth is highly vascularized, lingual veins and arteries can be distinguished.
- #C.S.  Some drugs can be rapidly absorbed through the thin mucosa of the floor of the
mouth, also alcohol.
- Medial to the vein  the lingual artery - supplies genioglossus.
- In the same region  the hypoglossal nerve and lingual nerve.

ANTERIOR WALL
- Anteriorly, the oral cavity = bounded by the lips and the oral
orifice.
- The orbicularis oris forms their bulk.
- They upper and lowers lips meet each other at the angle of the
mouth.
- Each of the lips is attached at its midpoint to the gingiva by the
frenulum.
- The upper frenulum is more prominent than lower.
- The transition between the facial skin and the oral mucous membrane occurs in the
vermilion border.

 The lip consists of labial glands that helps in moisturizing the oral mucosa, these can be
distinguished by rolling your tongue along the lips and you will feel small “round shapes”.
 These glands do not support the external lip at “vermillion border” and that’s why we have
to “lick our lips”.
 The oral mucosa is stratified squamous epithelium just like vocal cords and part of
epiglottis.
 The oral mucosa is thicker than the skin in order to maintain protection, but also because
the skin has other compounds such as sweat glands and hair follicles.
 Salivary gland, Sublingual and Submandibular glands,  provide ducts to inferior wall of
oral cavity.
 Sublingual gland- mucosa producing gland.
 Submandibular gland – Serous and mucosa producing gland