Mouth
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| Mouth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Head and neck. | |
 | |
| A human mouth, closed. | |
| Latin | cavitas oris |
| MeSH | Oral+cavity |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | c_16/12220513 |
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The human mouth (or oral cavity) is covered by an upper and lower lip.
The mouth starts digestion by physically chewing the food and breaking it down with saliva.
The average male mouth holds a volume of about 100mL.
Function
They play an important role in speech (it is part of the vocal apparatus), facial expression, kissing, eating, drinking (especially with a straw), breathing, and smoking.
Infants are born with a sucking reflex, by which they instinctively know to suck for nourishment using their lips and jaw.
Cultural aspects
According to general etiquette, the mouth is kept closed, especially when chewing.
Lips are often adorned with lipstick or lip gloss although in most human cultures this is an affectation for females only.
Piercings have been made popular by the younger generations. Lip, tongue, and the 'Monroe' (Monroe piercing is a stud piercing placed on one's face in the same area as Marilyn Monroe's well known and prominent birthmark was) are piercings seen in many varieties. Piercings of any sort besides two subtle earrings are seen as rebellious to the norm in many western cultures.
Development
The philtrum is the vertical groove in the upper lip, formed where the nasomedial and maxillary processes meet during embryo development. When these processes fail to fuse fully, a hare lip and/or cleft palate can result.
The nasolabial folds are the deep creases of tissue that extend from the nose to the sides of the mouth. One of the first signs of age on the human face is the increase in prominence of the nasolabial folds.
See also
Additional images
 Sagittal section of nose mouth, pharynx, and larynx. |
External links
- oral+cavity at eMedicine Dictionary
Human anatomical features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Head | Skull · Forehead · Eye · Ear · Nose · Mouth · Tongue · Teeth · Jaw · Face · Cheek · Chin |  |
| Neck | Throat · Adam's apple | |
| Torso | Shoulders · Spine · Breast · Chest · Ribcage · Abdomen · Navel Sex organs (Clitoris · Vagina · Penis · Scrotum · Testicle) – Hip · Anus · Buttocks | |
| Limbs | Arm · Elbow · Forearm · Wrist · Hand · Finger (Thumb · Index · Middle · Ring · Little) · Leg · Lap · Thigh · Knee · Calf · Heel · Ankle · Foot · Toe (Hallux) | |
| Skin | Hair | |
| ||||
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
