Oral Cavity & Salivary

Glands
Dr. Miral Salama
Assistant Professor of Anatomy

2/7/21

www.gmu.ac.ae
 ANATOMY OF THE ORAL CAVITY
- The mouth is subdivided by
alveolar process into outer
vestibule and inner oral
cavity proper.
The mouth cavity consists of
two parts:
 The mouth cavity proper :
- Space between the upper and
the lower alveolar arches.

 The vestibule :
- Space between the teeth and
gums on one side & the lips
and cheeks on the other side.
– The oral cavity is lined by stratified squamous
epithelium.
– The lining of the gingiva, hard palate, and
dorsum of the tongue is slightly keratinized.
Boundaries:
– Anteriorly: Lips
– Posteriorly: Continuous with
oropharynx
– Laterally: Cheeks
– Superiorly: Palate
– Inferiorly: Tongue
1. Lips
- Are formed of orbicularis oris.
- Covered externally by skin and internally by mucous
membrane.
- Connected to the gums in the midline by labial frenula.
Cheeks

2. Cheeks:
- They are formed from buccinator muscle (prevent the food
being accumulated in the vestibule) & separated from the lips by
nasolabial folds.
 Nerve supply : supplied by buccal nerve of trigeminal.
 3. The teeth
– Deciduous teeth—”milk” or “baby” teeth.
– Emerge 6 months – 2 yrs.
– In each jaw, there are 4 incisors,2 canines, 4 molars.

– Replaced by permanent teeth 6

The jaws: -12 yrs.
– Upper jaw: maxillary bone. – Wisdom teeth (3rd molar)
– Lower jaw: mandible. erupts 17 - 25 years.
 4. Palate:
– Hard palate (maxilla+ palatine bone) anteriorly
& soft palate posteriorly.
– The posterior end of the soft palate is named
uvula.
Soft palate:

P
i. Tensor palati (tenses the
palate): arises from
Eustachian tube and scaphoid
fossa , tendons fuse > palatine
aponeurosis which inserts into
margin of palatine bone.
ii. Levator palati (elevate the tensed palate > shut
off the naso -pharynx from the oropharynx): arises
from Eustachian tube and petrous bone > palatine
aponeurosis.
iii. Musculus uvulae (tenses the uvula): arises from
palatine aponuerosis & inserts into mucosa of uvula

iv. Palatoglossus: (raises tongue):

arises from palatine aponuerosis &
inserts into side of tongue.
 Sensory nerve supply:
– Lesser palatine (soft
palate), greater
palatine & nasopalatine
(hard palate) nerves.

Motor nerve supply:

– All the palatine muscles are supplied by the cranial
accessory nerve except tensor palati which is supplied by
the nerve to the medial pterygoid from the trigeminal
nerve.
5. Tongue: muscular organ of:
– Taste, mastication, speech, deglutition.
– Tongue prints: Personal identification.
– Mirror of disturbances in GIT.
– Partly is present in the oral cavity and partly in the pharynx.

– The undersurface of the tongue is

connected to the floor of the
mouth in the midline by frenulum.
– On either side of the frenulum
submandibular duct open into
the sublingual papillae.
– More lateral on each side
multiple openings of sublingual
salivary glands
– Tongue is divided by a V shaped sulcus
(terminal sulcus)into ant 2/3 (oral )and post 1/3
– (pharyngeal).
Foramen caecum: depression indicates the site
of the thyroid rudiment.
– The mucous membrane of oral part is provided
with numerous papillae (vallate, fungiform,
filiform, foliate) pharyngeal part consists of
lingual tonsil.
– On each side of the tongue
there are 2 pillars:
– Palato - glossal arch
connects the palate to
tongue.
– Palato - pharyngeal arch
connects the palate to
pharynx.
– Tonsils is between the 2
arches.
– Connected to the epiglottis by a median and a
pair of lateral gloss epiglottic folds.
– Valecula: depression seen on either side of
median glosso -epiglotic fold.

Muscles of the Tongue:

– Each half: striated muscles

arranged into extrinsic (alter the
position of the tongue) and intrinsic
(alter the shape of the tongue).
A. Extrinsic muscles: 4 pairs
i. Genioglossus.
ii. Hyoglossus.
iii. Styloglossus.
iv. Palatoglossus.
i. Genioglossus muscle:
 Origin:
- Genial tubercles of mandible.
 Insertion:
- Superior surface of the
tongue from the tip to the root
near hyoid bone.

 Action :
- Bring it forwards.
ii. Hyoglossus muscle:
 Origin:
- Hyoid bone.
 Insertion:
- Sides of the posterior ½
tongue.
 Action:
- Pull tongue downwards and
iii. Palatoglossus muscle:

Action :
- Elevates the root of the tongue
> shutting off the oral cavity
from the oropharynx

iv. Styloglossus muscle:

 Origin:
- Styloid process of the skull.
 Insertion:
- The inferior surface of the tongue.
 Action:
- Pulling the tongue backwards.
B. Intrinsic muscles
i. Superior Longitudinal muscle:
ii. Inferior Longitudinal muscle:
 Action:
- Shortens the tongue.
iii. Transverse muscle:
 Action:
- Narrows and elongates
the tongue.

iv. Vertical muscle:

 Action:
- Flattens and broadens the tongue.
The nerve supply of the tongue:
The anterior 2/3 :
– Taste by chorda tympani , branch of facial nerve.
- Touch & temperature by lingual branch of
trigeminal.
:The posterior 1/3
- Taste , touch & temperature by
glossopharyngeal nerve.
Vallecula:
– Vagus nerve.

Motor supply:

- All muscles of the tongue are supplied by the

hypoglossal nerve except palatoglossus, supplied with
cranial accessory.
Development of the tongue:
Mucosa of tongue:
- Anterior 2/3: 2 oval lateral
lingual swellings appear in
the endodermal floor of
pharynx (i.e.in between 1st
pair of pharyngeal arches).
- Posterior 1/3: The hypo -
pharyngeal eminence
,develops from the
ventromedial parts of the 3rd
& 4th arches.
Muscles of the tongue:
- They are developed from the 2nd , 3rd &4th occipital
myotomes, which migrate down to form all the
muscles of the tongue except palatoglossus muscle
(from 6th arch).
 CONGENITAL ANOMALIES OF THE TONGUE

1. Ankyloglossia (tongue tie): short frenulum

causes disturbance in speech.
2. Macroglossia: generalized hypertrophy due to
vascular malformation.

3. Microglossia: abnormally small tongue.

4. Glossoschisis: bifid tongue due to
incomplete fusion of tongue buds.
Salivary glands

– 3 pairs that secrete more saliva when eating (or

anticipating) parotid, submandibular, sublingual.
Parotid gland:
 Largest of salivary glands, predominantly serous.
 It is pyramidal in shape, located between the ramus of the
mandible and the mastoid process.
 Anterior to and below the lower half of the auricle.
 Extends down to the lower border of the mandible and up
to the zygomatic arch.
Description of the gland:
 The gland has 2 ends, 3 borders and 3 surfaces.
A. Ends of the gland:
1. The upper end (base):
• Broad.
• 3 structures escape
from it:
- Auriculo -temporal
nerve, superficial
temporal vessels
and temporal
branch of facial
nerve.
2. The lower end (apex):
• 3 structures escape from it:
- 2 divisions of retro-mandibular vein & cervical
branch of facial nerve.

B. Borders of the gland:

1. The anterior border:
• Overlaps masseter
muscle.
• Beneath it appear the
zygomatic, buccal ,
mandibular branches of
facial nerve & the
parotid duct.
2. The posterior border: Overlaps
sternomastoid muscle.

3. The medial border: reaches the

pharynx.
C. The surfaces of the gland:
1. The lateral surface:
• Skin.
• Superficial fascia
containing branches
of great auricular nerve
&superficial parotid
lymph nodes.

2. The antero - medial surface :

• Is grooved by the mandibular
ramus between 2 muscles : the
masseter and medial pterygoid.
3. The postero- medial surface :
• Fits over the mastoid process
between 2 muscles
(sternomastoid and posterior
belly of digastric).
• More deeply is related to the
styloid process with its muscles
(stylohyoid, styloglossus and
stylopharyngeus) separating it
from the carotid sheath.

Structures within parotid gland:

From deep to superficial:
1. Retromandibular vein.
2. External carotid artery.
3. Facial nerve.
The parotid duct:
 It begins at the anterior part of the gland, crosses
the masseter.and pierces the buccinator muscle
opposite the upper 3rd molar tooth.
 Then it runs forwards between the buccinator and
oral mucosa and pierces the latter opposite the
upper 2nd molar tooth to open in the vestibule of
the mouth.
Nerve supply:
1. Parasympathetic (secreto- motor):
preganglionic fibers from the lesser petrosal
nerve (branch of glossopharyngeal) while
postganglionic fibers are carried by auriculo -
temporal nerve (trigeminal).
2. Sensory: Auriculo - temporal nerve.
Blood supply:
• Arteries originate from the external carotid artery.
• Veins from the parotid gland drain into the external
jugular vein.

Lymphatic drainage:
• Pre-auricular (parotid) lymph nodes, then into the
• deep cervical lymph nodes.
 Submandibular gland
 It is a e mixed hook shaped salivary gland.
 It lies under cover of the mandible.
 The gland is formed of a large superficial part and a
smaller deep part.
 The superficial part lies on the mylohyoid and hyoglossus
muscles (on the floor of the digastric triangle).
 The deep part extends into the floor of the
mouth between mylohyoid laterally and
hyoglossus medially.
 Both the superficial and deep parts are
continuous around the posterior free border of
the mylohyoid muscle.
 A. The Superficial Part of the Gland :
It has 3 surfaces :
1. The lateral surface is related to :
• Submandibular fossa of the mandible.
• Medial pterygoid muscle.
• The facial artery descends between the gland
and the medial pterygoid.
2. The inferior surface is related to :
• Skin, superficial fascia containing platysma,
deep fascia.
• Facial vein, cervical branch of the facial nerve
and submandibular lymph nodes.
3. The medial surface is related to :
• Myelohyoid muscle.
• Myelohyoid vessels & nerves.
The submandibular duct:
• It emerges from the deep part of the gland
• It opens in the sublingual papilla beside the base of
frenulum of the tongue after running an upward
course.
• The lingual nerve loops under the submandibular
duct, crossing first the lateral side , below it and
then the medial side of the duct.
 The sublingual glands
 The smallest of the 3 major paired salivary glands.
 Each sublingual gland lies directly against the sublingual
fossa of the mandible , lateral to the submandibular duct.
 The sublingual gland raises the mucosa of the floor of
the mouth (sublingual fold).
 It drains into the oral cavity via numerous small ducts.
 Blood supply:
• The submandibular & sublingual are
supplied by branches of the facial and lingual
arteries.
• Veins from both drain into lingual and facial
veins.
Lymphatic drainage:
• Submandibular lymph nodes.
Objectives:
• Identify the 2 subdivisions of oral cavity
• Describe the structure of lips, cheeks and teeth
• Explain the muscles and functions of palate and tongue
and mention their nerve supply.
• Describe the gross & microscopic structure, relations,
blood and nerve supply of the 3 salivary glands
• Explain the development of tongue and salivary glands.
References:
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978 0 7020 3394 0
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Gray's Anatomy. Standring, Susan. 41st edition. Saunders Elsevier; 2016. ISBN: 978-
0-7020-5230-9
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978-0-323-39613-4
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