Cheek

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Cheek
Cheek.jpg
Cheek of a female human
Sobo 1909 260 - Zygomaticus major muscle.png
A diagram detailing human facial muscles, including the zygomaticus major (red), which is contained within the cheeks and is integral to the action of smiling
Details
Artery Buccal artery
Nerve Buccal nerve, buccal branch of the facial nerve
Identifiers
Latin bucca
MeSH D002610
TA98 A01.1.00.008
A05.1.01.014
TA2 116
FMA 46476
Anatomical terminology

The cheeks (Latin : buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. Buccal means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the inside of the cheek and the teeth and gums is called the vestibule or buccal pouch or buccal cavity and forms part of the mouth. In other animals the cheeks may also be referred to as " jowls ".

Contents

Structure

Cheeks are fleshy in humans, [1] the skin being suspended by the chin and the jaws, and forming the lateral wall of the human mouth, visibly touching the cheekbone below the eye. The inside of the cheek is lined with a mucous membrane (buccal mucosa, part of the oral mucosa).

During mastication (chewing), the cheeks and tongue between them serve to keep the food between the teeth.

Clinical significance

The cheek is the most common location from which a DNA sample can be taken. (Some saliva is collected from inside the mouth, e.g. using a cotton-tipped rod called a swab or " Q-Tip ". The procedure of collecting a sample in that way is typically called a "cheek swab").

Other animals

The cheeks are covered externally by hairy skin, and internally by stratified squamous epithelium. This is mostly smooth, but may have caudally directed papillae (e.g., in ruminants). [2] The mucosa is supplied with secretions from the buccal glands, which are arranged in superior and inferior groups. In carnivores, the superior buccal gland is large and discrete: the zygomatic gland. During mastication, the cheeks and tongue between them serve to keep the food between the teeth.

Some animals such as squirrels and hamsters use the buccal pouch to carry food or other items.

An eastern chipmunk using its buccal pouch to store food Chipmunk with Full Cheeks.jpg
An eastern chipmunk using its buccal pouch to store food

In some vertebrates, markings on the cheek area, particularly immediately beneath the eye, often serve as important distinguishing features between species or individuals.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buccinator muscle</span> Muscle

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Morsicatio buccarum is a condition characterized by chronic irritation or injury to the buccal mucosa, caused by repetitive chewing, biting, or nibbling.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheek pouch</span>

Cheek pouches are pockets on both sides of the head of some mammals between the jaw and the cheek. They can be found on mammals including the platypus, some rodents, and most monkeys, as well as the marsupial koala. The cheek pouches of chipmunks can reach the size of their body when full.

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Buccal administration is a topical route of administration by which drugs held or applied in the buccal area diffuse through the oral mucosa and enter directly into the bloodstream. Buccal administration may provide better bioavailability of some drugs and a more rapid onset of action compared to oral administration because the medication does not pass through the digestive system and thereby avoids first pass metabolism. Drug forms for buccal administration include tablets and thin films.

Fascial spaces are potential spaces that exist between the fasciae and underlying organs and other tissues. In health, these spaces do not exist; they are only created by pathology, e.g. the spread of pus or cellulitis in an infection. The fascial spaces can also be opened during the dissection of a cadaver. The fascial spaces are different from the fasciae themselves, which are bands of connective tissue that surround structures, e.g. muscles. The opening of fascial spaces may be facilitated by pathogenic bacterial release of enzymes which cause tissue lysis. The spaces filled with loose areolar connective tissue may also be termed clefts. Other contents such as salivary glands, blood vessels, nerves and lymph nodes are dependent upon the location of the space. Those containing neurovascular tissue may also be termed compartments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human digestive system</span> Digestive system in humans

The human digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion. Digestion involves the breakdown of food into smaller and smaller components, until they can be absorbed and assimilated into the body. The process of digestion has three stages: the cephalic phase, the gastric phase, and the intestinal phase.

References

  1. "cheek" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
  2. Klaus-Dieter Budras, Klaus-Dieter Budras (2003). Bovine Anatomy: An Illustrated Text . Schlütersche. p.  44. ISBN   3899930002.