01 / Location & anatomical relationships
Below your nose, opening into the throat.
02 / Structure & organization
The oral vestibule lies between the lips or cheeks and the teeth. The oral cavity proper lies within the dental arches and continues toward the oropharynx. Its roof contains the hard and soft palates; its floor supports the tongue.
03 / Function
Digestion begins here as you chew and mix food with saliva.
04 / Mechanism
Teeth cut and crush food while the tongue moves it around. Saliva moistens the pieces so they can join into a soft mouthful. When you swallow, coordinated muscles move that mouthful toward the esophagus.
Working together: digestive system
Teeth break food into pieces, the stomach mixes it, and the small intestine absorbs nutrients. Your blood then carries these nutrients around your body.
Meet this body system →FOR DEEPER STUDY
Connect structure with function
Mechanical breakdown, saliva secretion and coordinated bolus formation precede swallowing. Oral structures also shape airflow and sound, linking digestion with speech production.
Check your understanding
Locate the mouth in relation to its neighbors. Explain how the structural features described above support its function, then distinguish it from a nearby structure with a different role.
Keep learning
Continue with OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology for system-level study. This atlas is educational and has not undergone independent medical peer review.