Читать книгу Feline Dentistry - Jan Bellows - Страница 18

The tongue has important functions in grooming, eating, drinking, and vocalization. The tongue is composed of both striated intrinsic and extrinsic muscles. The body of the tongue comprises the rostral two‐thirds, the root comprises the caudal one‐third and is attached to the hyoid apparatus. The genioglossus muscle depresses and is the only muscle to protrude the tongue, the hyoglossus and styloglossus both depress and retract the tongue.

The dorsal surface of the tongue is covered by keratinized stratified squamous epithelium that forms papillae which are responsible for taste, temperature control (through transfer of saliva from the mouth to fur) and grooming. The dorsal aspect of the lingual mucosa is specialized, having five types of papillae. They are filiform, fungiform, foliate, vallate, and conical. Filiform and fungiform papillae occupy the dorsal surface of the tongue body. The vallate papillae separate the tongue body and root dorsally. Vallate, foliate, and conical papillae occupy the tongue root (Figure 1.2).

Figure 1.2 Tongue papillae.

Pillars of mucosa and the palatoglossal folds extend to the soft palate at the base of the tongue (Figure 1.3).

The ventral tongue surface contains less cornified mucosa. The lingual frenulum connects the rostral two‐thirds of the tongue to the floor of the mouth within the intermandibular space.