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Tongue

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Clinical Oral Anatomy

Abstract

The functions of the tongue are multitasking, and as such, the tongue rarely receives the attention in textbooks it deserves. This chapter highlights the complex muscular anatomy of the tongue that is based on intrinsic and extrinsic musculature. Four cranial nerves, i.e., lingual nerve from the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve CN V, chorda tympani from the facial nerve CN VII, hypoglossal nerve CN XII, and glossopharyngeal nerve CN IX, contribute to the neural supply of the tongue emphasizing the importance of this anatomical structure. Even the vagus nerve (CN X) innervates a small area of the tongue just anterior to the epiglottis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bern School of Dental Medicine Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, Bern, Switzerland

    Thomas von Arx

  2. Department of Anatomy Biochemistry & Physiology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

    Scott Lozanoff

Authors
  1. Thomas von Arx
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  2. Scott Lozanoff
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© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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von Arx, T., Lozanoff, S. (2017). Tongue. In: Clinical Oral Anatomy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41993-0_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41993-0_23

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-41991-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-41993-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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