Cheek
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2014) |
| Cheek | |
|---|---|
 Cheek of a female human | |
 A diagram detailing human facial muscles, including thezygomaticus major(red), which is contained within the cheeks and is integral to the action of smiling | |
| Details | |
| Artery | Buccal artery |
| Nerve | Buccal nerve,buccal branch of the facial nerve |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | bucca |
| MeSH | D002610 |
| TA98 | A01.1.00.008 A05.1.01.014 |
| TA2 | 116 |
| FMA | 46476 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Thecheeks(Latin:buccae) constitute the area of thefacebelow theeyesand between thenoseand the left or rightear.Buccalmeans relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by thebuccal nerve.The area between the inside of the cheek and the teeth and gums is called thevestibuleorbuccal pouchorbuccal cavityand forms part of themouth.In other animals the cheeks may also be referred to as "jowls".
Structure
[edit]Humans
[edit]Cheeks are fleshy in humans,[1]the skin being suspended by thechinand thejaws,and forming the lateral wall of the human mouth, visibly touching thecheekbonebelow the eye. The inside of the cheek is lined with amucous membrane(buccal mucosa, part of theoral mucosa).
Duringmastication(chewing), the cheeks and tongue between them serve to keep the food between the teeth.
Other animals
[edit]The cheeks are covered externally by hairy skin, and internally bystratified squamous epithelium.This is mostly smooth, but may have caudally directed papillae (e.g., inruminants).[2]The mucosa is supplied with secretions from the buccal glands, which are arranged in superior and inferior groups. In carnivores, the superior buccal gland is large and discrete: the zygomatic gland. Duringmastication(chewing), the cheeks and tongue between them serve to keep the food between the teeth.
Some animals such assquirrelsandhamstersuse thebuccal pouchto carry food or other items.
In somevertebrates,markings on the cheek area, particularly immediately beneath the eye, often serve as important distinguishing features betweenspeciesorindividuals.
Society and culture
[edit]The cheek is the most common location from which aDNAsample can be taken. (Some saliva is collected from inside the mouth, e.g. using a cotton-tipped rod called aswabor "Q-Tip".The procedure of collecting a sample in that way can be called a" cheek swab ").
See also
[edit]- Blushing
- Cheek augmentation
- Cheek kissing
- Erythema infectiosum
- High cheekbones
- Slapped cheek
- Tongue-in-cheek
- Zygomatic bone
References
[edit]- ^"cheek"atDorland's Medical Dictionary
- ^Klaus-Dieter Budras, Klaus-Dieter Budras (2003).Bovine Anatomy: An Illustrated Text.Schlütersche. p.44.ISBN3899930002.
External links
[edit]
Media related toCheeksat Wikimedia Commons
