25. Oral cavity – lateral walls + C.S.

Boundaries:
 Post wall – Missing
 Roof:
 Hard palate – bony part, covered by palatine mucosa which forms transverse folds
 Soft palate -posterior part, divides nasopharynx and laryngopharynx and has a
middle prolongation called Uvula.
 Inferior wall- small u-shaped region situated beneath the moveable tongue and above the
diaphragm formed by mylohyoid muscle.
 Anterior wall - bounded by the lips and the oral orifice.

Hard palate:

- Masticatory mucosa
- Mucous secreting gland-
- Stratified squamous epithelium
- Dense connective tissue overlays the epithelium to provide a hard surface for the
mastication function when the tongue squeezes the food towards the palate.

The oral cavity - divided into 3 segments:

1. Oral vestibule  bounded:
 anteriorly by the lips
 posteriorly by the teeth
2. Oral cavity proper  bounded:
 anteriorly by the teeth
 posteriorly by the palatoglossal arch
3. The fauces  bounded:
 anteriorly by the palatoglossal arch
 posteriorly by the palatopharyngeal arch.
- contains the palatine tonsil.

Lateral Walls of the oral cavity

- Are the cheeks.
- Its principal muscle is the buccinator muscle which is lined
by the mucous membrane of the mouth interiorly.
- This mucous membrane contains salivary glands called
buccal glands.
- On the outer aspect of the buccinators is the buccal fat
pad followed by the masseter muscle.
- Surrounded by buccal fat is the parotid duct that drains
saliva from the main salivary gland, the parotid gland.
- The cheeks and lips are supplied by branches of the facial artery.
- The mucous membrane of the cheek is innervated by the buccal nerve (from the mandibular
division).
- The roof of the of the oral cavity is formed by the soft and hard palate.
- On the posterolateral side we will have palatoglossus and palatopharyngeus m.m. that will
form an arch/fold.
- In between we will have the palatine tonsils.