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The tongue is an important accessory organ in the digestive system. The tongue is used for crushing food against the hard palate, during mastication and manipulation of food for softening prior to swallowing. The epithelium on the tongue's upper, or dorsal surface is keratinised. Consequently, the tongue can grind against the hard palate ...
Lingual papillae, particularly filiform papillae, are thought to increase the surface area of the tongue and to increase the area of contact and friction between the tongue and food. [2] This may increase the tongue's ability to manipulate a bolus of food, and also to position food between the teeth during mastication (chewing) and swallowing.
Geographic tongue, also known by several other terms, [note 1] is a condition of the mucous membrane of the tongue, usually on the dorsal surface. It is a common condition, affecting approximately 2–3% of the general population. [2] [7] It is characterized by areas of smooth, red depapillation (loss of lingual papillae) which migrate over time.
Geographic tongue, also termed benign migratory glossitis, is a common condition which usually affects the dorsal surface of the tongue. It is characterized by patches of depapillation and erythema bordered by a whitish peripheral zone. These patches give the tongue the appearance of a map, hence the name.
Median rhomboid glossitis is a condition characterized by an area of redness and loss of lingual papillae on the central dorsum of the tongue, sometimes including lesions of the tongue and palate. It is seen in patients using inhaled steroids and smokers, and is usually a kind of chronic atrophic oral candidiasis , but hematinic deficiency and ...
The upper front surface of the tongue just behind the tip, called the blade of the tongue ; The surface of the tongue under the tip ; The body of the tongue which is sometimes further divided into front and back; The base a.k.a. root of the tongue and the throat ; The aryepiglottic fold inside the throat (aryepiglottal)
A speech sound made with the middle part of the tongue (dorsum) touching the soft palate is known as a velar consonant. It is possible for the soft palate to retract and elevate during speech to separate the oral cavity (mouth) from the nasal cavity in order to produce the oral speech sounds.
Tongue coating - food debris, desquamated epithelial cells and bacteria often form a visible tongue coating. [7] This coating has been identified as a major contributing factor in bad breath ( halitosis ), [ 7 ] which can be managed by brushing the tongue gently with a toothbrush or using special oral hygiene instruments such as tongue scrapers ...