Three pairs of salivary glands produce saliva that moistens and begins chemical breakdown of food. They are the sublingual, submandibular and parotid glands. Parasympathetic secretomotor supply to the former two glands comes from the facial nerve via its chorda tympani branch and the submandibular ganglion whilst the parotid gland is innervated by the glossopharyngeal nerve. Sublingual glands Each sublingual gland (beneath the tongue) lie on … Continue reading Salivary glands

The palate forms the roof of the oral cavity (separating it from the nasopharynx) and consists of the hard palate anteriorly and the soft palate posteriorly. Hard palate The hard palate is covered with mucous membrane and formed by the palatine process of the maxilla and the horizontal plate of the palatine bone. Posteriorly, it is continuous with the soft palate. Soft palate Five muscles … Continue reading Palate

The tongue occupies the floor of the oral cavity. It is divided into an anterior two-thirds (the oral part) and a posterior third (the pharyngeal part) by a prominent sulcus terminalis. The oral part has a velvety appearance, being covered by small projections called papillae. Most of these are pointed filiform papillae, with numerous mushroom-shaped and taste bud-containing fungiform papillae interspersed among them. The pharyngeal … Continue reading Tongue

Each temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a condyloid joint between the head of the mandible and the articular tubercle on the inferior surface of the temporal bone. As an atypical synovial joint, an intra-articular fibrocartilaginous disc divides the joint into upper and lower cavities and its articular surfaces are covered by fibrocartilage instead of hyaline cartilage. Mechanics of mandibular movement Movements of the TMJ normally result … Continue reading Temporomandibular joint