Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Pharynx
Prepared by
Ms. Beenish Tufail
Learning Objectives
By the end of the Unit, learners will be able to:
• Describe the component of health history that
should be elicited during the assessment of
nose, mouth and pharynx.
• Identify the structural landmarks of the nose,
mouth and pharynx
• Describe specific assessments to be made
during the physical examination of the above
systems.
• Document findings.
Nose
Anatomy
• Bridge is the superior part (nasal bone)
• Tip is the anterior part of nose (cartilage)
• The nasal cavity is located between the roof of the
mouth and the cranium
• The nasal septum separates the cavity into two
halve
• The front of the nasal septum contains a rich supply
of blood vessels and is known as Kiesselbach’s
area. This is a common site for nasal bleeding.
• Columella divides the nares
• Ala –lateral outside wing of the nose bilaterally
• Upper 1/3 nose is bone; rest is cartilage
• Hair – Filter coarse matter from entering nasal
cavity
• Ciliated mucous membrane filters dust and
bacteria. The rich blood supply warms and
humidifies the air
• Turbinate's (conchae) increase the surface are
of the nasal cavity so that more air is filtered,
warmed, and humidified
• Meatus - cleft underlying each turbinate.
The sinuses drain into the middle, tears from the
nasolacrimal duct drain into the inferior
• Sinuses
• Paranasal sinuses- air- filled pockets in the
cranium
• Purpose – ↓ wt. of the skull – Serve as
resonators for sound – Provide mucous for the
nasal cavity
• Primary site of infection because they can easily
become blocked & develop inflammation/sinusitis.
• Frontal – Maxillary accessible during
examination
• Ethmoid – Sphenoid
Structure and Function of Nose
MOUTH
Landmarks of Mouth
• The palate, which is the roof of the mouth, is
divided into two parts. The front part has
ridges and is hard (hard palate). The back
part is relatively smooth and soft (soft
palate).
• The moist mucous membranes lining the
mouth continue outside, forming the pink and
shiny portion of the lips, which meets the skin
of the face at the vermilion border. The lip
mucosa, although moistened by saliva, is
prone to drying.
• The uvula is a narrow muscular
structure that hangs at the back of the
mouth and can be seen when a person
says "Ahh."
• The tongue lies on the floor of the
mouth and is used to taste and mix food.
The tongue is not normally smooth. It is
covered with tiny projections (papillae)
that contain taste buds, some of which
sense the taste of food.
Gingiva – Mucosal tissue surrounding portions of
the maxillary and mandibular teeth and bone.
Fauces – Passageway from oral cavity to
pharynx.
Palatine rugae – Firm ridges of tissues on the hard
palate.
• The salivary glands produce saliva. There
are three major pairs of salivary glands:
parotid, submandibular, and sublingual.
Besides the major salivary glands, many
tiny salivary glands are distributed
throughout the mouth. Saliva passes from
the glands into the mouth through small
tubes (ducts).
Landmarks of Tongue
•Allergies
•Bleeding disorder
•Kidney disease
•Cardiovascular disorder
•Diabetes
•Respiratory infection etc
Past Dental history
History of dental treatment
History of complication
• Family History
• Presence of genetic or inherited
abnormalities
• Personal
History
• Birth injuries
• Breast feeding
• Vaccination
• Oral hygiene Practices
• Regularity of brushing
• Frequency and method of
brushing
• Which kind of toothpaste used
• Adverse Habits
• Smoking
• Tobacco chewing
• Alcohol consumption
Inspect the Mouth and Throat
• Inspect the patient lips, nothing any lumps
or abnormalities. Then using a tongue
blade and bright light, inspect the mouth.
Have the patient open his mouth, then
place the tongue blade on top of his
tongue. Observe the gingivae, or gums.
Then inspect the teeth, note their numbers,
condition, and whether any are missing or
crowded. If the patient is wearing dentures,
ask him to remove them so u can inspect
the gums underneath. Next inspect the
tongue and oropharynx
Inspect and palpate the inner lips and buccal
mucosa for colors, moisture, texture and
presence of lesions
• Apply clean gloves
• Ask the client to relax the mouth and for
better visualization, pull the lip outward and
away from teeth.
• Grasp the lip one each side between the
thumb and index finger.
• Palpate any lesion for size, tenderness and
consistency.
• Inspect the front teeth and gums
Inspecting the tongue
• Ask the patient to raise the tip of her tongue
and touch her palate directly behind her front
teeth. Inspect the ventral surface of tongue
and the floor of mouth. Next, wrap a piece of
gauze around the tip of the tongue and move
the tongue first to one side then the other to
inspect the lateral borders
Inspecting the Oropharynx
• Inspect the Oropharynx by asking him to open
his mouth while u shine the penlight on the
uvula and palate. Insert a tongue blade into
mouth and depress the posterior tongue. Place
the tongue blade slightly off center to avoid
eliciting the gag reflex. Ask the patient to say
Ahhh. Observe movements of the soft palate
and uvula. Note lumps, lesions, ulcers or
edema of lips or tongue
Finally assess the patient’s
gag reflex by gently
touching the back of the
pharynx with a cotton-
tripped applicator or the
tongue blade. Doing so
should produce a bilateral
response.
Lips
• The lips should be pink, moist, symmetrical
and without lesions. They may have bluish
hue or flecked(small dots/patches)
pigmentation in dark skinned patients. Ask
the client to purse the lips as if to whistle.
Oral Mucosa
• The oral mucosa should be pink, smooth,
moist and free from lesions and unusual
odors. Increased pigmentation may occur in
dark skinned patients.
Gingivae
• The gums should be pink, smooth, moist with
clearly defined margins at each tooth. They
should not be retracted or inflamed.
Tongue
• The tongue should be midline, moist, pink
and free from lesions. It should have a
smooth posterior surface and slightly
rough anterior surface with small fissures.
It should move easily in all directions and
lie straight to the front at rest.
Oropharynx and uvula
These structures should be pink and moist
without inflammation or exudates
Tonsils
The tonsils should be pink and without
hypertrophy
Normal findings
• Pink
• Moist
• Symmetric
• Smooth surface
• Free from lesions
Abnormal findings
• Dry
• Cracked Lips (Cheilitis)
• Lip ulceration
• Cyanosis
MOUTH
ABNORMALITIES
• Dental Caries
• Cavities refer to tooth decay, which occurs when
specific types of bacteria produce acid that
destroys the tooth’s enamel and its underlying
layer, the dentin
• Signs & Symptoms
• Cavity symptoms include:
• Toothache
• Sensitivity to sweet, hot or cold foods or drinks
• Pain when chewing
• Dental plaque is a biofilm (any group
of microorganisms in which cells stick to each
other and often also to a surface mass
of bacteria that grows on surfaces within
the mouth). It is a sticky colorless deposit at
first, but when it forms tartar, it is often brown
or pale yellow. It is commonly found between
the teeth, on the front of teeth, behind teeth, on
chewing surfaces, along the gum line
• Tartar is a visible, hard deposit of plaque and
dead bacteria that forms at the gum lines. Tartar
buildup can alter the fibers that attach the teeth to
the gum and eventually disrupt bone tissue.
• Gingivitis
Inflammation of gums (red and swollen gum)
• Glossitis
Inflammation of tongue
• Stomatitis is inflammation of the mouth and
lips. It refers to any inflammatory process
affecting the mucous membranes of the mouth
and lips
• Cheilosis is a painful inflammation and
cracking of the corners of the mouth. It also is
called cheilitis.
• Cold sores/Fever blister - painful sores
on the lips and around the mouth, caused
by a virus
Angioedema
• Commonly associated with urticaria, is
usually caused by an allergic reaction. It
presents subcutaneously or dermal and
produce non pitted swelling of subcutaneous
tissues and deep, large wheals usually on
lips, hands, feet, eyelids or genitalia.
• These swelling don’t itch but may burn
or tingle
Leukoplakia
• Involves painless, white patches that appear
on the tongue or the mucous membranes of
the mouth. It result from chronic irritation of
the membranes due to tobacco use, poor
fitting dentures, use of some medications, or
a rough tooth. The white patches are
considered precancerous lesions. Biopsy
determines whether the lesions are malignant.
Candidiasis
• Candidiasis of the oropharyngeal mucosa
causes cream colored or white patches on
the tongue, mouth and pharynx. Infection
caused by candida albicans. Although these
fungi are part of the body normal flora, they
can cause infection when changes,
• such as an elevated blood glucose level in
patient with diabetes, immunosupression in
a patient with human immunodeficiency
virus, or use of antibiotics allow for their
sudden proliferation
Throat
Abnormalities
• Dysphagia
• Difficulty swallowing
• Possible Causes
• Esophageal disorder e.g GERD
Gastroesophageal refers to the stomach and
esophagus. Reflux means to flow back or
return. Therefore, gastroesophageal reflux is
the return of the stomach's contents back up
into the esophagus.
• In normal digestion, the lower esophageal
sphincter (LES) opens to allow food to pass into
the stomach and closes to prevent food and acidic
stomach juices from flowing back into the
esophagus.
• Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when the LES
is weak or relaxes inappropriately, allowing
the stomach's contents to flow up into the
esophagus
• Orophrayngeal, respiratory disorder and
Neurological disorder (As a neurological
disorder, Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been
shown to affect motor skills in the limbs, inhibit
muscle coordination, and sometimes contribute
to dysphagia).
• Collagen disorders e,g Systemic sclerosis
(SS) is an autoimmune disorder. This means
it’s a condition in which the immune
system attacks the body. Healthy tissue is
destroyed because the immune system
mistakenly thinks it’s a foreign substance
or infection. E,g GERD
• Certain toxins (Botulinum toxin (Botox) —
commonly used if the muscles in the
esophagus have become stiff (achalasia).
Botulinum toxin is a strong toxin that can
paralyze the stiff muscle, reducing
constriction and treatment)
Throat Pain
• Commonly known as sore throat
• Refers to discomfort in any part of the
pharynx
• Ranges from sensation of scratchiness to
severe pain
• Possible Causes
• Infections such as Pharyngitis or
tonsillitis
• Trauma
• Allergies
• Cancer
• Surgery
• Endotracheal intubation
• Alcohol consumption
• Inhaling smoking or chemicals such as
ammonia
• Vocal strain
Tonsillitis
• Acute tonsillitis begins with a mild to severe
sore throat. Tonsillitis may also produce
dysphagia, fever, swelling and tenderness of
the lymph nodes, and redness in the throat
with exudative tonsillitis, a white exudate
appear on the tonsils
Pharyngitis
• Acute or chronic inflammation of the
pharynx that produces a sore throat and
slight difficulty swallowing. It is usually
caused by rhinovirus, coronavirus, or
adenovirus. It may also caused by bacterial
infections, such as from group of A beta
hemolytic streptococci.
Diphtheria
• Highly contagious toxin mediated infection
caused by corynbecterium diphtheria. It
causes sore throat with rasping cough and
lead to airway obstruction.
• The throat appear red with thick, gray
membrane covering back of the throat.
References
• Rushforth, H. (2009). Assessment made
incredibly easy!(2nd edition). Wolters
Kluwer
• Video Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryQh39
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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJkbkd
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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmJxLh
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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY9-
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