Oral cavity
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Frank Gaillard had no recorded disclosures.
View Frank Gaillard's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had the following disclosures:
- Philips Australia, Paid speaker at Philips Spectral CT events (ongoing)
These were assessed during peer review and were determined to not be relevant to the changes that were made.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosures- Oral cavity subsites
- Subsites of the oral cavity
- Oral cavities
- Mouth (oral cavity)
- Mouths (oral cavity)
- Oral vestibule
- Buccal vestibule
- Labial vestibule
The oral cavity, also known as the mouth, is the most proximal portion of the aerodigestive tract, and is continuous posteriorly with the oropharynx.
On this page:
Gross anatomy
Boundaries
The oral cavity includes the lips anteriorly. For purposes of staging oral carcinoma according to the 8th edition of the AJCC TNM staging system, the oral cavity starts at the portion of the lip that contacts the opposed lip (wet mucosa) and excludes the dry vermilion lip. The oral cavity formed by oral vestibule and oral cavity proper:
The oral vestibule is the space between the labial and buccal mucosa anteriorly/laterally and posteriorly/medially the teeth and gingiva. Mylohyoid muscles are located at its floor 5 and the hard palate forms the roof.
Posteriorly, the oral cavity proper extends to a ring of structures (circumvallate papillae, anterior tonsillar pillars, and junction of hard and soft palates) that divides it from the oropharynx. The oropharyngeal isthmus (fauces) is the relatively constricted opening between the oral cavity and the oropharynx, but is considered to be part of the oropharynx.
Subsites
The oral cavity is divided into a number of subsites both anatomically and for the purposes of cancer staging:
mucosal lip
buccal mucosa
upper alveolar ridge (mucosa overlying alveolar process of maxilla)
lower alveolar ridge (mucosa overlying alveolar process of mandible)
retromolar gingiva (retromolar trigone)
anterior two-thirds of the tongue (oral tongue; posterior third is part of the oropharynx)
Lymphatic drainage
Lymphatic drainage of the oral cavity includes submental, submandibular, retropharyngeal, and deep cervical nodes 5.
Related pathology
Quiz questions
References
- 1. Oral Cancer. J. w. Werning, John W. Fleming (Editor). Thieme Medical Publishers ISBN:1588903095 (find it at amazon.com)
- 2. Trotta BM, Pease CS, Rasamny JJ et-al. Oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer: key imaging findings for staging and treatment planning. Radiographics. 2011;31 (2): 339-54. Radiographics (full text) - doi:10.1148/rg.312105107 - Pubmed citation
- 3. Meesa IR, Srinivasan A. Imaging of the oral cavity. Radiol. Clin. North Am. 2015;53 (1): 99-114. doi:10.1016/j.rcl.2014.09.003 - Pubmed citation
- 4. Law CP, Chandra RV, Hoang JK et-al. Imaging the oral cavity: key concepts for the radiologist. Br J Radiol. 2011;84 (1006): 944-57. Br J Radiol (full text) - doi:10.1259/bjr/70520972 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
- 5. Stephanie Ryan, Michelle McNicholas, Stephen J. Eustace. Anatomy for Diagnostic Imaging. (2011) Page 19-20. ISBN: 9780702029714 - Google Books
Incoming Links
- Pelvic actinomycosis
- Gastrointestinal tract
- Maxilla
- Ariboflavinosis
- Squamous cell carcinoma (oral cavity)
- Inspissated secretions
- Pterygopalatine fossa
- Submandibular gland
- Mylohyoid boutonniere
- Oropharynx
- Submandibular duct
- Jugulodigastric lymph nodes
- Pharynx
- Parotid gland
- Inferior alveolar nerve
- Gingival cyst
- Head and neck anatomy
- Minor salivary gland tumours
- Mentalis muscle
- Palatoglossus muscle
Related articles: Anatomy: Head and neck
- skeleton of the head and neck
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cranial vault
- scalp (mnemonic)
- fontanelle
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sutures
- calvarial
- facial
- frontozygomatic suture
- frontomaxillary suture
- frontolacrimal suture
- frontonasal suture
- temporozygomatic suture
- zygomaticomaxillary suture
- parietotemporal suture (parietomastoid suture)
- occipitotemporal suture (occipitomastoid suture)
- sphenofrontal suture
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- spheno-occipital suture (not a true suture)
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- frontal bone
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facial bones
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cranial vault
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facial muscles
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buccolabial muscles
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orbicularis oris muscle
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orbicularis oris muscle
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suboccipital muscles
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deep spaces of the neck
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arterial supply
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common carotid artery
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common carotid artery
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arterial supply
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cranial nerves
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- optic nerve (CN II)
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trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
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- abducens nerve (CN VI)
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vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
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cervical plexus
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ansa cervicalis
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cranial nerves
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