The tongue is a muscle with its base attached to the floor of the mouth (FOM).
Inferior surface:
Related to the FOM.
Covered by thin non-keratinised mucous membrane, tightly bound to underlying mucosa.
Lingual frenum lies in midline and extends to FOM.
Fimbriated folds (fringed folds of mucous membrane) lie lateral to frenum.
Deep lingual veins can be visible through the mucosa.
Dorsum surface (with self made diagram):
Divided into anterior 2/3 (palatal part) and posterior 1/3 (pharyngeal part).
Junction of these two parts is marked by shallow V-shaped groove, directed posteriorly= Sulcus terminals.
Foramen caecum is a pit in the midline, near the V-bend= primordial site of thyroid gland development.
Anterior 2/3 is partly keratinised and characterised by papilla - of which most clear are circumvallate papilla, immediately infront of sulcus terminals.
Posterior 1/3 covered in large, round lingual follicles, made of lymphatic tissue.
Posterior part slopes towards epiglottis where midline fold of glossoepiglotic mucous membrane joins the two.
The palatoglossal arches (anterior pillars of fauces) extend from soft palate to near circumvallate papillae.
Refs:
Berkovitz BK, Holland GR, Moxham BJ. A colour atlas and textbook of oral anatomy, 1977.
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