Tongue

The tongue performs several critical functions for oral and systemic health:

• Taste Perception: Detects sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami flavors via taste buds
• Speech & Communication: Shapes sounds for articulation and verbal expression
• Mechanical Digestion: Helps move, mix, and position food during chewing
• Swallowing (Deglutition): Guides food from the mouth into the esophagus
• Oral Hygiene: Assists in cleaning teeth and oral surfaces
• Sensory Feedback: Detects texture, temperature, and pain for safe ingestion

Key Takeaway

The tongue is a multifunctional organ critical for taste, communication, and food processing, with impacts on digestion, speech, and oral health.

Basic Structure

• Composed mainly of skeletal muscle fibers covered by a mucous membrane
• Located in the floor of the mouth, anchored to the hyoid bone and mandible

Major Regions

• Tip (Apex): Highly mobile for speech and food manipulation
• Body: Central portion assisting in chewing and swallowing
• Root: Posterior part connecting to the pharynx, supporting swallowing
• Dorsum: Upper surface with papillae housing taste buds
• Ventral Surface: Smooth underside containing blood vessels and frenulum

Muscles

• Intrinsic Muscles: Change tongue shape (length, width, curvature)
• Extrinsic Muscles: Change tongue position (protrude, retract, elevate, depress)

Nerves & Blood Supply

• Sensory: Lingual nerve (general sensation), chorda tympani (taste anterior 2/3), glossopharyngeal nerve (taste posterior 1/3)
• Motor: Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) controls most movements
• Blood Supply: Lingual artery; venous drainage via lingual veins

Key Takeaway

The tongue’s complex musculature, rich innervation, and specialized surface allow it to perform precise movements, detect tastes, and coordinate essential functions like speech and swallowing.

• The tongue has 8–12 taste buds per papilla, with thousands of taste buds in total
• It can perform highly coordinated movements for speech and swallowing
• The tongue is covered by a mucous membrane that renews every 10–14 days
• It contains enzymes in saliva that initiate carbohydrate digestion
• Tongue color, texture, and moisture can indicate overall health status

• Glossitis: Inflammation of the tongue, causing swelling and color changes
• Geographic Tongue: Benign, patchy appearance due to papillae changes
• Oral Thrush: Fungal infection affecting tongue and oral mucosa
• Tongue Cancer: Malignant tumors affecting tissue, speech, and swallowing
• Taste Disorders (Dysgeusia): Altered or loss of taste sensation
• Macroglossia: Enlarged tongue due to congenital or acquired conditions

• Changes in Color (Pale, Red, or Blue)
• Swelling or Pain
• Coating or White Patches
• Difficulty Moving or Speaking
• Persistent Sores or Ulcers
• Altered Taste Sensation

Source: Knowledge Platform