The tongue has oral and pharyngeal parts and is involved in speech, taste, chewing, and swallowing. It contains intrinsic and extrinsic muscles that alter its shape. The tongue has four types of papillae and receives its blood supply primarily from the lingual artery. Nerve supply involves the hypoglossal, lingual, and glossopharyngeal nerves. Injuries or conditions like glossitis can affect the structure and function of the tongue.

1. TONGUE
Dr. Prabhakar Yadav
Associate Professor
(MBBS, MS)
Department of Human Anatomy
B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences

3. Location: floor of mouth
Function: speech, taste,
mastication, deglution.

4. Tongue
tip/ apex body
superior
surface/dor
-sum
Oral (2/3)
Pharyngeal
(1/3)
inferior
surface-
root

5. 1.Oral/ papillary part
2 pharyngeal /lymphoid
part
Oral and pharyngeal part
differ in development,
topography, structure
and function.
Two are separated by
sulcus terminalis
2 limbs of sulcus meet at
foramen caecum

6. Apex/Tip –behind upper incisor

7. Root
attached to
Mandible & Hyoid bone
(below)
Styloid process and soft
palate (above)

8. Oral Part:
in front of palatoglossus
arch-
foliate papillae
Superior surface-
median furrow/ groove-
covered with papillae
Inferior surface-
• Confined to oral part only
• covered with smooth
mucous membrane
Midline fold - frenulum
linguae
On each side of frenulum
linguae – deep lingual vein
Lateral to deep lingual vein-
fold- plica fimbriata
- Directed forward and
medially to tip of tongue.

9. Pharyngeal /
Lymphoid part:
location: behind
palatoglossal arch
& sulcus terminalis
Mucus membrane –
has many lymphoid
follicles- lingual
tonsil
Posterior most part of tongue – connected to epiglottis – by
3 fold of mucus membrane
1. median glossoepiglottic fold
2 . R t. and left lateral glosso -epiglotic fold
vallecula
Lateral glosso -epiglotic fold seperates vallecula form piriform fossa.

10. base of tongue – posterior surface of pharyngeal part -forms anterior wall of
oropharynx

11. Papillae of tongue:
- projection of mucus
membrane or corium
4 types:
1. Circumvallate
Papillae:
Located: immediately
infront of sulcus
termanilis
Cylindrical projection
surrounded by circular
suclus
1-2 mm in diameter
8-12 in no.

12. Fungiform paillae:
Located: near tip and
margin of tongue
Smaller than vallate
but larger than
filiform
Numerous in no.
Consist of narrow
pedicle and lagre
rounded head
Filiform papillae:
Location: presulcal area of dorsum of
tonge
- are pointed and covered with keratin
- apex split into filamentous process
-smallest
- most numerous

14. Muscles of tongue:
middle fibrous septum ( median
furrow) divide tongue into Rt. & Lt.
halves .
each half consist of
4 Intrinsic and 4 extrinsic muscles.

15. Intrinsic Muscles:
Occupy upper part of tongue and are
attached to submucous fibrous layer and
median fibrous septum
Alter the shape of tongue
1. superior longitudinal
2. Inferior longitudinal
3. Transverse
4 vertical

16. Superior Longitudinal:
• Lies beneath Mucus membrane
• shortens tongue and makes
dorsum concave
Transverse Muscle:
• extend form septum to margin
• makes tongue narrow and
elongated
Verticle Muscle:
• located at border of anterior
part of tongue
• Makes tongue broad and
flattened.

17. Inferior longitudinal Muscle:
• Lie close to inferior surface of tongue between genioglossus and hyoglossus
• shortens the tongue and makes dorsum convex

18. Extrinsic Muscles:
Connets tongue to
Mandible by- genioglossus
Hyoid by- Hyoglossues
styloid process by – styloglossus
palate by- palatoglossus

19. Genioglossus:
origin: Upper genial tubercle
Insertion:
• upper fibers- tip of tongue- retract tip
• Middle fibers- into dorsum- depress the tongue
• Lowe fibers- into Hyoid bone-pulls posterior part of tongue forward – protude the
tongue form the mouth.
If muscle is paralysed –
muscle will fall back on
oropharynx and
block air passage
(SAFETY MUSCLE)

20. Hyoglossus:
Origin: whole length of greater cornu and lateral part of body of hyoid
Insertion: side of tongue between styloglossus and inferior longitudinal muscles
Function: retract protuded tongue; depress and makes dorsum convex.

21. Superficial relation:
1 styloglossus,
2 lingual nerve,
3.submandibular
ganglion,
4 deep part of
submandibular gland
5submandibular duct ,
6. hypoglossal nerve and
veins accompanying it

22. Deep relation: 1.Inferior longitudinal muscle,
2. Genioglossus,
3. middle constrictor of pharynx
,
4.glosssopharyngeal nerve
5. stylohyoid ligament,
6. lingual artery

23. Strucutue passing deep to posterior border of hyoglossus :
form above downward :
1 Glossopharyngeal nerve,
2 stylohyoid ligament,
3. lingual artery.

24. Styloglosssus:
Origin:
styloid process + upper
part of stylohyoid
ligament
Insertion:
Side of tongue,
intermingling with fibers
of hyoglossus
Function:
during swollowing- pulls
tongue upward and
backward.

25. Palatoglossus:
Origin: oral surface of palatine aponeurosis
Insertion: junction of oral and pharyngeal part
Function : Pulls the root of tongue , close the oropharyngeal isthmus.

26. Arterial supply:
Chiefly by-Lingual artery
root – ascending pharyngeal artery
- tonsillar artery.
Laceration of
tongue: -
bleeding-
stopped by
grasping
tongue
between finger
and thumb
posterior to
laceration –
occluding
branches of
lingual artery.

27. Venous drainage:
2 venae comitantes accompany lingual artery
1 venae comitantes accompany hypoglossal nerve
These veins unite at posterior border of hyoglossus to form lingual vein , end in
common facial vein or internal jugular vein

28. Lymphatic drainage
Tip of tongue- submental nodes
Rt. & Lt. half of anterior 2/3 – unilaterally to submandibular lymph nodes
Post. 1/3 – bilaterally to jugulo-omohyoid nodes( lymph nodes of tongue)
Nerve supply:
• Motor- all intrinsic & extrinsic – by – XII
except
Palatoglossus- cranial root of accessory nerve – through pharyngeal plexus
• Sensory- lingual - anterior 2/3
Glossopharyngeal - posterior 1/3
• Gustarory sensaton: chorda tympani---anterior 2/3 except vallate papillae
IX for posterior 1/3 including vallate papillae
• Posterior most part of tongue – superior laryngeal nerve (Br. Of Vagus)

29. hypoglossal nucleus receives corticonuclear fibers
from both cerebral hemispheres.
nucleus that supplies the genioglossus receives
corticonuclear fibers only from the opposite
cerebral hemisphere
test :ask to put out the tongue
Infra Nuclear lesion:
1.Tongue deviate toward the paralyzed side.
2. Gradual atrophy of affected half of tongue
3. Muscular twitching
Supra Nuclear Lesion:
1.Tongue deviate to the side opposite the lesion.
2.No atrophy or fibrillation/ twitching
3. Tongue – stiff, moves very sluggishly – defective
articulation

30. Glossitis
Acute glossitis : enormous swelling
presence of rich network of lymphatics and
loose areolar tissue in substance of tongue

32. Tongue tie:
Underdeveloped frenulum

33. Non fusion of 2 lingual swelling