Health Assessment

Week 8
Nose, Mouth and Throat
Chapter 17

Nose
 First segment of the respiratory system
 Warms, moistens and filters (via nasal hairs) inhaled air
 Sensory organ for smell
 Kiesselbach’s plexus – anterior part of the septum with rick blood supply, common site
for nose bleeds
 Paranasal sinuses – air-filled pockets within the cranium that communicate with the
nasal cavity. They lighten the weight of the skull bones, serve as resonators for sound
production and provide mucus, which drains into the nasal cavity
 Sense of smell is mediated by cranial nerve I (CNI)

Sinuses
Frontal
 Two
 In the frontal bone above and medial to the orbits
Maxillary
 Two
 In the maxilla (cheekbone) along the side walls of the nasal cavity
 Are accessible to examination
Ethmoid
 Smaller and deeper
 Between the orbits
Sphenoid
 Smaller and deeper
 Deep within the skill in the sphenoid bone

Mouth
 First segment of the digestive system

Salivary Glands
Parotid
 Lies within the cheeks in from of the ear and extend from the zygomatic arch down to
the angle of the jaw
 Stenson’s duct
 Koplik’s spots – early indicator of measles
Submandibular
 Size of a walnut
 Lies beneath the mandible at the angle of the jaw
Sublingual
 Smallest gland
 Almond-shaped
 Lies within the floor of the mouth, under the tongue

Teeth
 Adults have 32 prominent teeth
 16 on each row

Throat/Pharynx
 Oropharynx is separated from the mouth by the anterior tonsillar pillars, two folds of
tissue on each side
 Nasopharynx is continuous with the oropharynx, above the oropharynx and behind the
nasal cavity

Considerations: Pregnant Women

 Nasal stiffness and nosebleeds (epistaxis) may occur as a result of increased vascularity
in the upper respiratory tract
 Gums may become hyperemic, soften and may bleed with normal toothbrushing
 No evidence shows that pregnancy causes tooth decay/loss

Considerations: Older Adult

 Subcutaneous fat diminished making nose appear larger
 Nasal hairs grow thicker and coarser and may not filter as well and may cause itching
and sneezing
 Sense of smell may dimmish as olfactory nerve (CN I) fibers decrease
 Soft tissues atrophy and epithelium thins which results in loss of taste buds and ~80% of
taste function
 Decrease salivary secretion
 Atrophic tissues ulcerate easily with can lead to thrush (oral yeast infection), also
increases risk of malignant lesions
 Malocclusion – results after tooth loss, remaining incisor teeth shift and protrude
 Diminished sense of taste and smell can contribute to loss of appetite and malnutrition

Leukoedema – a greyish-white benign lesion occurring on the buccal mucosa

Edentulism – being toothless
Rhinorrhea – nasal discharge
Epistaxis – nosebleeds
Allergic rhinitis – seasonal if caused by pollen allergies and perennial is the allergy is to dust