mouth function in digestive system, The human body is a miracle gifted by god. Each and every part of our body has its own importance. Our body is incomplete in the absence of any part. So the human digestive system is also very important and plays an important role in the development of the immune system, proper digestion of food, maintenance of every part of our body. So I am discussing here the role of the mouth in the digestive process.
As soon our eyes see any food our salivary glands get active In our mouth. As we consume food our teeth began to grind the same, salivary glands spread saliva, the tongue helps mix saliva in-ground food. The gastric gland in our stomach and various chemical changes occur in our duodenum, small intestine, and large intestine. Our pancreas, liver, and gall bladder also play a vital role in the digestive system.
The entire alimentary canal is lined by a mucus membrane. From lips to the end of the esophagus this is the stratified epithelium. And from the stomach to the anal canal this lining is composed of the columnar cell, and the anal canal is also lined with stratified epithelium. So in this way, our whole alimentary tract has been made safe by these linings.
So describe as under
Structure and function of the human digestive organ
mouth function in digestive system, The human digestive system starts at our lips and ends at the anus. It consists of mouth, teeth, grinding the food, tongue mix food with saliva, the pharynx, the esophagus, the stomach, the small intestine, consisting of duodenum, jejunum, ileum and the large intestine consisting of the cecum, the ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon and sigmoid colon and at the end rectum.
Glands provide digestive juices include salivary glands, gastric glands in the stomach, bile in the liver, pancreatic juice in the pancreas. All these organs and glands help to the physical and chemical breaking and changes of food consumed and elimination of indigestible food. The function of all the parts is described here.
The human body parts include in the digestive system are such as,
1. Mouth and oral structure
mouth function in digestive system, The mouth consists of teeth and the tongue. Both help grind the food consumed and mix the same with saliva and convert the food into a paste. In addition, to help in grinding and mixing of food, our tongue helps us to check the taste of food consumed, such as food is sweet or sour or salty or so on. Our teeth started grinding the food which we intake, our salivary glands pour saliva, our mouth started mastication and help change the food into a paste and prepare the mouth to transfer the paste of the food to the stomach through the esophagus tube.
Mastication is essential for proper digestion. Our teeth convert the food into small particles, jaw chews the food particles by mixing saliva in the same. There are two sets of teeth, the temporary set (Milk teeth) and the permanent set. The milk teeth are twenty, ten in each jaw.
First milk teeth cut at the age of six months. And gradually up to the age of two years, a child got a complete set of milk teeth.
On the completion of six years, the child replaced its milk teeth with permanent teeth. The permanent teeth are thirty-two in number, sixteen in each jaw, named two incisors, one canine, two premolars, and three molars in each jaw.
2. The lips and cheeks
mouth function in digestive system, The lips and cheeks are other important parts of our mouth. The lips are two fleshy folds that surround the mouth, are composed externally of the skin and by mucus membrane internally. The mucosa contains mucus-secreting glands which lubricate our mouth for the purpose of mastication and speech.
The cheek, is the side of the mouth, a distinct fat pad. In infants, it is a large and sucking pad. On the inner surface of the cheek, opposite 2nd upper molar teeth, parotid salivary gland, located in front of the ear. There are 4 to 5 mucus-secreting glands behind the parotid salivary gland.
During the process of digestion, various changes occur in the character of food, due to the activity of ferments and enzymes available in different digestive fluids. Each fluid has a specific action on one type of food and no action on another type of food-accordingly one digestive fluid select one item and acts accordingly.
Ptyalin (salivary amylase) acts only on sugar and starch. Pepsin on protein, pancreatic fluid contains several enzymes, each enzyme works on one type of food.
An enzyme is a chemical, which makes changes in the chemistry of other substances, without itself undergoing any change.
3. The roof of the mouth
mouth function in digestive system, The roof of the mouth is concave and is formed by the hard and soft palate. The hard palate is formed in the shape of the horizontal portion of the two palatine bones and the palatine portion of the maxillae or upper jaw. The hard palace is covered by a thick, pale mucous membrane that is continuous with that of the gums and is bound to the upper jaw and palate bones by firm fibrous tissue. The soft palate is continuous with the hard palate in front.
Posteriorly it is continuous with the mucous membrane covering the floor of the nasal cavity. The soft palate is composed of a strong, thin, fibrous sheet, the palatine aponeurosis, and the glossopalatine and pterygopalatine muscles.
4. The floor of the mouth
It is a prominent, elevated fold of mucous membrane in the midline that binds each lip to the gum, and a slight fold on the side called sublingual papilla, where the duct of the submandibular salivary gland open.
5. The gums
mouth function in digestive system, The gums are made of mucous membranes, connected by thick fibrous tissue to the membranes surrounding the bone of the jaw. The gum membrane forms a collar around the base of the crown of each tooth, rich in blood vessels and arteries.
6. The teeth
Mastication is essential for proper digestion. Our teeth convert the food into small particles, jaw chews the food particles by mixing saliva in the same. There are two sets of teeth, the temporary set (Milk teeth) and the permanent set. The milk teeth are twenty, ten in each jaw.
First milk teeth cut at the age of six months. And gradually up to the age of two years, the child got a complete set of milk teeth.
On the completion of six years, the child replaced its milk teeth with permanent teeth. The permanent teeth are thirty-two in number, sixteen in each jaw, named two incisors, one canine, two premolars, and three molars in each jaw.
7. The Tongue
It contains a special sense of taste. It is made of two groups of muscles, such as intrinsic muscles and extrinsic muscles. It can freely move to any side. It plays important role in mastication and swallowing. The tongue turned about the food, pressed against the palate and teeth, and finally passed to the pharynx.
The tongue changes its shape according to requirement. The mucus membrane of the tongue is moist and pink in health, the upper side of the tongue is velvet in appearance, covered by papillae of three types, such as Circumvallated papillae, fungiform papillae, filiform papillae.
Our tongue contains taste buds, which are numerous in the walls of the Circumvallate and, fungiform papillae. The fungiform papillae contain a sense of touch. The mucous membrane of the palate and pharynx also contain taste buds.
There are four true sensations of taste: bitter, sweet, sour, and salt. Most of the foods have flavor and taste but this stimulates the nerve endings of smell and not those of taste. Different taste buds rise to different tastes. Tips of the tongue are sensitive to sweetness, the base of the tongue to bitter, top and sides to sour, taste of salt by the whole tongue, and is controlled by the nervous system.
The tongue has a complex nerve supply. The sensation of taste of the tongue is supplied by the fifth, seventh, and ninth cranial nerves, and its movement is innervated by the twelfth cranial nerves.
8. Salivary glands and saliva
Salivary glands are a group of sac-like alveoli, which form small lobules; ducts from each alveolus unite to form a larger duct which conveys the secretion towards the main duct, which poured salivary secretion into the mouth. The principal salivary glands are the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands.
The function of salivary glands is the secretion of saliva, the first digestive fluid to act upon the food.
Saliva is a watery, alkaline fluid, contains a small portion of solid, mucin, and ptyalin. The action of saliva is both physical and chemical. Physical action is to moisten the mouth, lubricate the food to make it easy to swallow. Chemical action is that it dissolves the food particles by moistening them same. Further chemical action is due to fermenting ptyalin, an alkaline medium that acts on sugar and cooked starches.
Ptyalin only acts on starch, cooked starches are converted into a soluble form of sugar i.e. maltose. It is started in the mouth and saliva is swallowed along with food and the action of ptyalin continues in the stomach for about twenty minutes or till the food is rendered acid by gastric fluid.
Frequently Asked Question About mouth function in digestive system
Q. What is the function of the mouth and tongue in our digestive system?
Ans. The mouth and tongue play an important role in our digestive system. The teeth and tongue work with salivary glands to break down food into small masses and change the same into a paste provides sensation and helps us to bite, chew and swallow.
Q. What are the disorders of the mouth?
Ans. There are many disorders of our mouth, such as ulcers, cancer, cleft palate, dry mouth, speech problems such as lisping, and dental caries.
Q. What happens in the mouth?
Ans. The mouth is the beginning of the digestive tract. As we consume food our teeth began to grind the same, salivary glands spread saliva, the tongue helps mix saliva in-ground food and convert the same into a paste for further transmission to the stomach through the esophagus.