The mouth and buccal cavity are the first point where the digestion of food starts in animals and humans. The food is then passed through the buccal cavity to the esophagus and the remaining process of digestion takes place. The mouth or buccal cavity has many parts. Lips bound the buccal cavity. Various parts of the buccal cavity are cheeks, tongue, upper jaw, and lower jaw. The buccal cavity is also responsible for speech in animals. Thus we can see that the mouth or buccal cavity plays an important role in the human body. In this article, we shall discuss the mouth or buccal cavity in detail.
Table of Content
Mouth
The mouth is an opening in our skull. The mouth begins at the lower jaw and ends at the nostrils. The mouth is the passage to both the digestive as well as respiratory systems in animals and humans. Lips bound the mouth from top and bottom. The lower jaw is movable while the upper jaw is fixed. The mouth generally consists of cheeks, lips, and glottis.
Functions of Mouth
The mouth mainly has the following functions:
- It helps us to ingest food and drink water
- It also helps us to speak and chew food.
- It helps us to breathe in case the nasal passage is blocked.
What is Buccal Cavity?
Buccal cavity is a broader term as compared to mouth. It begins at the lips and ends at the back of throat. Buccal cavity is also known as oral cavity. Buccal cavity includes the mouth as well as the inner parts of the buccal cavity also. It is a terms used to refer to the space inside the mouth that leads to the throat and then to the esophagus.
Parts of Buccal Cavity
Buccal cavity mainly consists of the following parts:
Lips
Lips bound the buccal cavity from top and bottom. They are soft and movable. Lips are made up of orbicularis oris muscles. Lips have blood vessels under them and these blood vessels are covered with soft epithelial tissue which is transparent in nature and thus provides reddish or pink appearance to the lips.
Buccal Mucosa
The inner lining of the cheeks is called mucosa. It is responsible to impart round shape to the lips.
Tongue
Major part of the buccal cavity is occupied by the tongue. It has taste buds which help us to identify different tastes of the food. Tongue performs various functions in human body such as:
- It helps us to identify taste of the food.
- It is responsible to provide ability to speak in humans and animals.
- It helps to squeeze food while swallowing.
Teeth
Buccal cavity in humans consists of 32 teeth in an adult. Teeth are of various types such as incisors, canines, molars and premolars. Each type of teeth has different function to perform. But in general teeth help in breaking, chewing and tearing the food.
Salivary Glands
Salivary glands present in the buccal cavity secrete a liquid called saliva. This saliva has an enzyme called amylase and ptyalin which helps to break down the starch and sugars present in the food. Saliva also helps to moisturize the food which makes it easier to swallow the food. Saliva provides an antibacterial effect as germs or harmful bacteria present in the buccal cavity are destroyed by the saliva.
Functions of Buccal Cavity
Buccal cavity performs the following functions:
- It helps us to ingest food by swallowing.
- Saliva present in buccal cavity helps us to chew food properly and breakdown the sugars present in food.
- Tongue present in buccal cavity helps us to taste and speak.
- Teeth in the buccal cavity helps to chew, tear, and grind the food that we eat.
Difference Between Mouth and Buccal Cavity
Differences between mouth and buccal cavity are as follows:
|
Mouth |
Buccal Cavity |
|---|---|
|
Mouth is an opening in the skull of animals. |
Buccal cavity is the empty or open space present inside the mouth. |
|
It begins at the lower jaw and end at the nostrils. |
It begins at the lips and end at the back of throat. |
|
It consists of cheek, lips and lower jaw. |
It consists of teeth, tongue, salivary glands, etc. |
|
Mouth helps to ingest food and breathe. |
Buccal cavity helps to digest certain sugars in food and also helps us to speak. |
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FAQs – Mouth and Buccal Cavity
1. What is the Buccal Area of the Mouth?
Buccal area of the mouth is the space between each cheek and the facial muscle in body. The buccal area of the mouth consists of the the buccal fat pad, the parotid duct, the transverse facial artery and vein and, the anterior facial artery and vein.
2. What is the difference between Buccal and Oral Cavity?
Oral cavity is used to denote everything inside the mouth whereas buccal cavity is used to describe the space between the cheeks.
3. Where is the Mouth located?
Mouth is located in the skull of animals just below the nostrils. It is a simple oval shaped opening that leads us to our digestive and respiratory system.
4. Is the Mouth and Buccal Cavity different?
Yes, mouth and buccal cavity are different as mouth is only an opening in the skull whereas buccal cavity is a broader term and includes the interior organs in mouth also such as teeth, tongue, etc.
5. What is the Function of the Buccal Cavity?
Buccal cavity helps to ingest food and also helps us to speak and communicate our ideas. Buccal cavity also contains various organs such as the tongue that helps us to taste and teeth that help us to chew, tear and grind the food.