Physiology of the Oral Cavity

Abstract

The oral cavity or mouth is the first portion of the digestive tract and is bounded by the lips anteriorly, the fauces posteriorly, the cheeks laterally, the palate superiorly and a muscular floor inferiorly. The tongue fills the available space in the floor of the mouth within the arch of the lower teeth. The oral cavity can be divided into two regions: (1) the vestibule, which is the space between lips or cheeks and the teeth; and (2) the oral cavity proper, the region medial to the teeth. The oral cavity is lined with moist stratified epithelium which shows characteristic variations of the different regions [1].