Digestive System

Organs of GI Tract Accessory Organs of GI Tract

• Oral cavity • Teeth
• Pharynx • Tongue
• Esophagus • Salivary glands
• Stomach • Liver
• Small intestine • Gall bladder
• Large intestine • Pancreas
 Functions of digestive system
• Ingestion
• Mastication
• Deglutition
• Digestion
• Absorption
• Peristalsis
• Defecation
 MOUTH
• Mouth also known as oral cavity is formed by
cheeks, lips, hard palate & soft palate.
• Vestibule of oral cavity is the depression
between the cheeks & lips externally and
gums & teeth internally.
• Opening of oral cavity is referred to as
oral orifice.
• Opening between oral cavity & pharynx is
called fauces.
 CHEEKS
• Cheeks form the lateral walls of the oral cavity

• They consist of outer layer of skin,

subcutaneous fats, facial muscles that assist in
manipulating food in oral cavity & inner lining of
stratified squamous epithelium.

• Anterior portion of lips terminate in superior &

inferior lips that surrounds oral orifice.
 LIPS
• Lips are fleshy highly mobile organs whose
principle function in human is associated with
speech.

• Lips also serve for suckling, manipulating food

& keeping food between upper & lower teeth.

• Each lip is attached from its inner surface to

the gum by a midline fold of mucus
membrane called labial frenulum.
 Between outer skin &
mucous membrane of oral
cavity is a transition zone
called the Vermilion
 PALATE
• Palate which forms the roof of oral cavity
consists of bony hard palate anteriorly & soft
palate posteriorly.
 Hard Palate
• Hard palate formed palatine process of
maxillae & horizontal plates of palatine bones
& is covered with mucous membrane.
• Transverse palatine folds or Palatal Rugae are
located along the mucous membrane of the
hard palate.
 Soft Palate
• Soft Palate is a muscular arch covered mucous
membrane & is continuous with the hard
palate anteriorly.

• Suspended from the middle lower border of

the soft palate is a cone shaped projection
called Palatine Uvula.
• Two muscular folds extend
downward from both sides
of the base of palatine
uvula.

• The anterior fold is called

glossopalatine arch &
posterior fold is called
pharyngopalatine arch.

• Between these two arches

is the palatine tonsil.
 TONGUE
• Tongue is a mass of skeletal muscle covered with
mucous membrane.
• Tongue function to move food around the mouth
during mastication & to assist in swallowing food
• Essential in producing speech.
• Extrinsic tongue muscles move tongue from side to
side & in and out.
• Only anterior 2/3 of tongue lies in oral cavity &
remaining 1/3 lies in pharynx and is attached to
hyoid bone.
• Rounded masses of lingual tonsils are located
on the superior surface of the base of the
tongue.
• The inferior surface of the tongue is
connected along midline anteriorly to the
floor of mouth by vertically positioned
Lingual frenulum .
• Papillae are numerous small elevations on the surface of
tongue.

• They give tongue a distinct roughened surface that aids in

handling of food.

• They also contain taste buds that respond to sweet, salty, sour
& bitter chemical stimuli.

• 4 types of papillae are present on surface of tongue

1. Filiform
2. Fungiform
3. Foliate
4. Circumvallate
Surface of tongue
• Filiform papillae Filiform papillae are sensitive to touch, have
tapered tips, and are by far the most numerous. These papillae
lack taste buds and are not involved in the perception of taste.

• Fungiform papillae -The fungiform papillae are involved in the

sensations of taste and have taste buds on their upper surface
which can distinguish the tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty

• Circumvallate papillae - there are only about 10 to 14 of these

papillae on most people, and are arranged in a V-shaped
formation directed toward the throat. The taste buds of the
vallate papillae are sensitive to bitter flavors.

• Foliate papillae - these are ridges and grooves towards the

posterior part of the tongue found at the lateral borders
 TEETH
• Humans & other mammals have heterodont
dentition means they have various types of
teeth.
• The four pairs (upper & lower jaws) of anterior
most teeth are the incisors adapted for cutting &
shearing food.
• Two pairs of cone shaped canines (cuspids) are
located at the anterior corners of the mouth they
are adapted for holding & tearing.
• Incisors & canines are characterized by singly
root on each tooth
TEETH
• Located behind the canines are the premolars
& molars
• They have 2 or 3 roots & somewhat rounded,
irregular surfaces called dental cusps for
crushing & grinding food.
The buccal surface
of the premolars &
molars is adjacent
to cheek.
The labial surface
of the incisors &
canines is adjacent
to the lip.
The lingual surface
of all teeth is
adjacent to tongue.
 TEETH
• Humans are diphyodont that is normally 2 sets of teeth
develop in person’s lifetime.
• Twenty milk teeth begin to erupt at about 6 months of
age, beginning with the incisors.
• All erupt at the age of 2.5 yrs
• 32 permanent teeth replace the deciduous teeth in
predictable sequence.
• Process begins at age of 6 and continues until about age
of 17yrs.
• Third molars (wisdom teeth ) are the last to erupt at age
17-25
• A dental formula is a graphic representation of the
types, number & position of teeth in the oral cavity
• Formula for deciduous dentition
I 2/2, C 1/1 , DM 2/2 = 10*2 =20 teeth
• Formula for permanent dentition
I 2/2, C1/1, P 2/2, M 3/3 = 16*2=32 teeth
Where I = incisor
C= canine
P = premolar
DM = deciduous molar
M = molar
 Structure of tooth
• A tooth consists of exposed crown, which is
supported by neck that is anchored firmly into the
jaw by one or more roots.
• Root of teeth fits into sockets called dental alveoli,
in the alveolar processes of mandible & maxillae.
• Each socket is lined by connective tissue
periosteum, specifically called periodontal
membrane.
• Root of tooth is covered with a bone like material
called cementum.
• The gingiva(gum) is the mucous membrane
surrounding the alveolar processes in oral
cavity.
• Bulk of tooth consists of dentin a substance
similar to bone but harder.
• Covering the dentin on the outside & forming
the crown is a tough, durable layer of enamel .
• Enamel is composed of calcium phosphate & is
the hardest substance in body.
• Central region of tooth contains the pulp cavity
• It contains pulp which is composed of
connective tissue with blood vessels, lymph
vessels & nerves.
• A root canal continuous with the pulp cavity
opens to the connective tissue surrounding
the root through an apical foramen.
SALIVARY GLANDS
 SALIVARY GLANDS
• The salivary glands are accessory digestive glands
that produce a fluid secretion called saliva.
• The amount of saliva secreted daily ranges from
1.0 to 1.5 L.
• Saliva also contains starch-digesting enzymes and
lubricating mucus, which aids swallowing.

• PAROTID GLANDS
• SUBMANDIBULAR GLANDS
• SUBLINGUAL GLANDS
 SALIVARY GLANDS

Two types of secretory cells, serous and mucous cells,

are
found in all salivary glands in various proportions .
Serous cells produce a watery fluid containing digestive
enzymes;
mucous cells secrete a thick, stringy mucus.

Physiological responses of this type occur whenever a

person
sees, smells, tastes, or even thinks about desirable food
 PAROTID GLANDS
• Largest of salivary glands
• Positioned below & in front of the auricle of
ear,between skin & masseter muscle.
• Saliva produced drain through parotid
( Stensen’s) duct.
• Secretes watery serous fluids, salts &
enzymes.
• It become infected & swollen with the
mumps.
 HISTOLOGY OF PAROTID GLANDS
• The acini of glands secrete enzymes
• The acinus is rounded & is lined by pyramidal cells
surrounding a very small lumen
• Nuclie are rounded & basal in position.
 SUBMANDIBULAR GLAND
• Lies inferior to the body of the mandible,
about midway along the inner side of jaw.
• Saliva produced in the submandibular gland
drains through the submandibular (Wharton’s
duct) & empties into the floor of the mouth on
lateral side of lingual frenulum.
SUBMANDIBULAR GLAND
 SUBLINGUAL GLANDS
• Lies under the mucous membrane of the floor
of the mouth.
• Contains small sublingual ducts (Rivinus ducts)
that empty into the floor of the mouth in as
area posterior to the papilla of submandibular
duct
 SUBLINGUAL GLANDS

• Size of acinus is bigger than serous acinus with

wider lumen
• Nucleus is flattened and rest against basement
membrane.
SUBLINGUAL GLAND