Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
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 ...
The human digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion (the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder). Digestion involves the breakdown of food into smaller and smaller components, until they can be absorbed and assimilated into the body.
The complete human digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion (the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver and gallbladder). [5] The tract may also be divided into foregut, midgut, and hindgut, reflecting the embryological origin of each segment.
In addition to its primary role as the beginning of the digestive system, the mouth also plays a significant role in communication. While primary aspects of the voice are produced in the throat , the tongue , lips , and jaw are also needed to produce the range of sounds included in speech .
In vertebrates, the first part of the digestive system is the buccal cavity, commonly known as the mouth. The buccal cavity of a fish is separated from the opercular cavity by the gills. Water flows in through the mouth, passes over the gills and exits via the operculum or gill slits.
A water buffalo chewing cud. Chewing is primarily an unconscious (semi-autonomic) act, but can be mediated by higher conscious input.The motor program for mastication is a hypothesized central nervous system function by which the complex patterns governing mastication are created and controlled.
A minor salivary gland may have a common excretory duct with another gland, or may have its own excretory duct. Their secretion is mainly mucous in nature and have many functions such as coating the oral cavity with saliva. Problems with dentures are sometimes associated with minor salivary glands if dry mouth is present. [12]
Beyond the papillae, taste receptors are also in the palate and early parts of the digestive system like the larynx and upper esophagus. There are three cranial nerves that innervate the tongue; the vagus nerve, glossopharyngeal nerve, and the facial nerve.