BIOL 221 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Soft Palate, Hard Palate, Mastication
4 Mar 2020
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Document Summary
Absorption of some lipid-soluble drugs (e. g. , nitroglycerine) The oral cavity performs many important functions. Obviously, food is normally ingested into the oral cavity. Sensations are generally geared toward the taste, texture and temperature of food. (review your notes from a&p i with regard to the three major nerves serving structures in the oral cavity. ) Most mechanical digestion occurs in the oral cavity as ingested food is masticated. Mucus and water in saliva lubricate food. Chemical digestion begins with the action of salivary amylase, which begins the hydrolysis of starch. Little is absorbed in the oral cavity but some lipid-soluble drugs (e. g. , nitroglycerine) are absorbed. The thickness of the mucosal epithelium, the washing of the mucosa by the saliva, and the presence of iga antibodies in saliva provide both innate and acquired resistance. The soft palate is muscular and helps to prevent food from going upwards into the nasopharynx during swallowing.
