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 Amir Rezaee had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Amir Rezaee'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. The roof is hard palate.
Posteriorly, the oral cavity 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)
ADVERTISEMENT: Supporters see fewer/no ads
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
- Inferior alveolar nerve
- Gingival cyst
- Minor salivary gland tumours
- Mentalis muscle
- Palatoglossus muscle
- Sphincter (disambiguation)
- Mylohyoid muscle
Related articles: Anatomy: Head and neck
- skeleton of the head and neck
-
cranial vault
- scalp (mnemonic)
- fontanelle
-
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
- sphenozygomatic suture
- spheno-occipital suture (not a true suture)
- lacrimomaxillary suture
- nasomaxillary suture
- internasal suture
- basal/internal
- skull landmarks
- frontal bone
- temporal bone
- parietal bone
- occipital bone
- skull base (foramina)
-
facial bones
- midline single bones
- paired bilateral bones
- cervical spine
- hyoid bone
- laryngeal cartilages
-
cranial vault
- muscles of the head and neck
- muscles of the tongue (mnemonic)
- muscles of mastication
-
facial muscles
- epicranius muscle
- circumorbital and palpebral muscles
- nasal muscles
-
buccolabial muscles
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- levator labii superioris alaeque nasalis muscle
- levator labii superioris muscle
- zygomaticus major muscle
- zygomaticus minor muscle
- levator anguli oris muscle
- malaris muscle
- risorius muscle
- depressors, retractors and evertors of the lower lip
- depressor labii inferioris muscle
- depressor anguli oris muscle
- mentalis muscle
- compound sphincter
-
orbicularis oris muscle
- incisivus labii superioris muscle
- incisivus labii inferioris muscle
-
orbicularis oris muscle
- muscle of mastication
- modiolus
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- muscles of the middle ear
- orbital muscles
- muscles of the soft palate
- pharyngeal muscles
- suprahyoid muscles
- infrahyoid muscles
- intrinsic muscles of the larynx
- muscles of the neck
- platysma muscle
- longus colli muscle
- longus capitis muscle
- scalenus anterior muscle
- scalenus medius muscle
- scalenus posterior muscle
- scalenus pleuralis muscle
- sternocleidomastoid muscle
-
suboccipital muscles
- rectus capitis posterior major muscle
- rectus capitis posterior minor muscle
- obliquus capitis superior muscle
- obliquus capitis inferior muscle
- accessory muscles of the neck
- deep cervical fascia
-
deep spaces of the neck
- anterior cervical space
- buccal space
- carotid space
- danger space
- deep cervical fascia
- infratemporal fossa
- masticator space
- parapharyngeal space
- stylomandibular tunnel
- parotid space
- pharyngeal (superficial) mucosal space
- perivertebral space
- posterior cervical space
- pterygopalatine fossa
- retropharyngeal space
- suprasternal space (of Burns)
- visceral space
- surgical triangles of the neck
- orbit
- ear
- paranasal sinuses
- upper respiratory tract
- viscera of the neck
- blood supply of the head and neck
-
arterial supply
-
common carotid artery
- carotid body
- carotid bifurcation
- subclavian artery
- variants
-
common carotid artery
- venous drainage
-
arterial supply
- innervation of the head and neck
-
cranial nerves
- olfactory nerve (CN I)
- optic nerve (CN II)
- oculomotor nerve (CN III)
- trochlear nerve (CN IV)
-
trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
- trigeminal ganglion
- ophthalmic division
- maxillary division
- mandibular division
- abducens nerve (CN VI)
- facial nerve (CN VII)
-
vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
- vestibular ganglion (Scarpa's ganglion)
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
- vagus nerve (CN X)
- (spinal) accessory nerve (CN XI)
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
- parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck
- cervical sympathetic ganglia
- greater occipital nerve
- third occipital nerve
-
cervical plexus
- muscular branches
- longus capitis
- longus colli
- scalenes
- geniohyoid
- thyrohyoid
-
ansa cervicalis
- omohyoid (superior and inferior bellies separately)
- sternothyroid
- sternohyoid
- phrenic nerve
- contribution to the accessory nerve (CN XI)
- cutaneous branches
- muscular branches
- brachial plexus
- pharyngeal plexus
-
cranial nerves
- lymphatic drainage of the head and neck
- embryological development of the head and neck
Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.