THE ORAL CAVITY

THE UVULA: Anatomy

• elongated hanging structure; back of the throat
• mouth is divided into: (1) hard palate (2) *soft palate
• hangs from the middle of the soft palate; lies close to the back of the tongue
• *can be divided into the bifid and cleft

The Uvula: COMPOSITION

• Mucus membranes
• connective tissue
• muscle tissue
• *very flexible

The Uvula: Function

• blocks passage into the nasal cavity when swallowing
• Articulation, it assists with speech
• Also plays a role in snoring, vibrates when one snores and accounts for the "rough" sound

Salivary Glands: Anatomy

• 3 major pairs
• *Parotid- largest, located between ear and branch of lower jaw, enclosed in "sheaths"
• Submandibular- round, inner side of lower jaw
• Sublingual- under mucous membrane, covering the floor of the mouth, under tongue

Salivary Glands: Function

• *salivary glands are "racemose", meaning they are built in clusters
• production of saliva

Saliva

• dissolves chewed food
• lubricates, which helps with passage along the digestive tract
• allows for the excretion of inorganic/organic molecules such as mercury, lead, and morphine
• moistens and keeps teeth free from residues, epithelial tissue, and foreign particles
• inhibits bacterial growth with the help of enzymes
• produces the solvent for materials

Saliva: Composistion

• water, inorganic ions, salivary proteins, amino acids, and enzymes
• *slightly acidic
• saliva contains the starch digesting enzyme, amylase or ptyalin

Salivary Amylase

• 1st secreted in the mouth, as saliva mixes w/ food, amylase binds to food
• breaks down starches into polysaccharides
• breaks down the chemical bonds (alpha-bonds) of glucose in starches

Citations

• healthhype.com/anatomy-and-function-of-the-uvula.html
• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1081754/human-digestive-system/45...