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Digestive System: Mouth

The digestive system takes whole foods and breaks them down into nutrients through a multi-step process. Food enters the mouth where it is broken into smaller pieces by teeth and mixed with saliva. It then moves to the pharynx and esophagus into the stomach where acids and enzymes begin breaking it down further. The partially digested food then enters the small intestine where most nutrients are absorbed with help from the liver, gallbladder and pancreas. Remaining waste then moves to the large intestine to be expelled from the body.

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STEPHEN OTEDA
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231 views5 pages

Digestive System: Mouth

The digestive system takes whole foods and breaks them down into nutrients through a multi-step process. Food enters the mouth where it is broken into smaller pieces by teeth and mixed with saliva. It then moves to the pharynx and esophagus into the stomach where acids and enzymes begin breaking it down further. The partially digested food then enters the small intestine where most nutrients are absorbed with help from the liver, gallbladder and pancreas. Remaining waste then moves to the large intestine to be expelled from the body.

Uploaded by

STEPHEN OTEDA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The DIGESTIVE SYSTEM is responsible for taking whole foods and turning

them into energy and nutrients to allow the body to function, grow, and repair
itself.

Mouth
Food begins its journey through the digestive
system in the mouth, also known as the oral
cavity. Inside the mouth are many accessory
organs that aid in the digestion of food—the
tongue, teeth, and salivary glands. Teeth chop
food into small pieces, which are moistened by
saliva before the tongue and other muscles
push the food into the pharynx.
 Teeth. The teeth are 32 small, hard organs found along the anterior and
lateral edges of the mouth. Each tooth is made of a bone-like substance called
dentin and covered in a layer of enamel—the hardest substance in the body.
Teeth are living organs and contain blood vessels and nerves under the dentin
in a soft region known as the pulp. The teeth are designed for cutting and
grinding food into smaller pieces.

 Tongue. The tongue is located on the inferior portion of the mouth just
posterior and medial to the teeth. It is a small organ made up of several pairs
of muscles covered in a thin, bumpy, skin-like layer. The outside of the
tongue contains many rough papillae for gripping food as it is moved by the
tongue’s muscles. The taste buds on the surface of the tongue detect taste
molecules in food and connect to nerves in the tongue to send taste
information to the brain. The tongue also helps to push food toward the
posterior part of the mouth for swallowing.

 Salivary Glands. Surrounding the mouth are 3 sets of salivary glands. The
salivary glands are accessory organs that produce a watery secretion known as
saliva. Saliva helps to moisten food and begins the digestion of carbohydrates.
The body also uses saliva to lubricate food as it passes through the mouth,
pharynx, and esophagus.

 Pharynx
The pharynx, or throat, is a funnel-shaped tube connected to the posterior end
of the mouth. The pharynx is responsible for the passing of masses of chewed
food from the mouth to the esophagus. The pharynx also plays an important
role in the respiratory system, as air from the nasal cavity passes through the
pharynx on its way to the larynx and eventually the lungs. Because the
pharynx serves two different functions, it contains a flap of tissue known as
the epiglottis that acts as a switch to route food to the esophagus and air to
the larynx.
 Esophagus
The esophagus is a muscular tube connecting the
pharynx to the stomach that is part of the upper
gastrointestinal tract. It carries swallowed masses
of chewed food along its length. At the inferior end of
the esophagus is a muscular ring called the
loweresophageal sphincter or cardiac sphincter. The
function of this sphincter is to close of the end of the
esophagus and trap food in the stomach.

 Stomach
The stomach is a muscular sac that is located on the left side of
the ABDOMINAL cavity, just inferior to the diaphragm. In an average
person, the stomach is about the size of their two fists placed next to each
other. This major organ acts as a storage tank for food so that the body has
time to digest large meals properly. The stomach also contains hydrochloric
acid andDIGESTIVE enzymes that continue the digestion of food that began
in the mouth.

 Small Intestine
The small intestine is a long, thin tube about 1 inch in diameter and about 10
feet long that is part of the lower gastrointestinal tract. It is located just
inferior to the stomach and takes up most of the space in the abdominal
cavity. The entire small intestine is coiled like a hose and the inside surface is
full of many ridges and folds. These folds are used to maximize the digestion
of food and absorption of NUTRIENTS . By the time food leaves the small
intestine, around 90% of all nutrients have been extracted from the food that
entered it.

 Liver and Gallbladder


The liver is a roughly triangular accessory organ of the DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
located to the right of the stomach, just inferior to the diaphragm and
superior to the small intestine. The liver weighs about 3 pounds and is the
second largest organ in the body. The liver has many different functions in the
body, but the main function of the liver in digestion is the production of bile
and its secretion into the small intestine. Thegallbladder is a small, pear-
shaped organ located just posterior to the liver. The gallbladder is used to
store and recycle excess bile from the small intestine so that it can be reused
for the digestion of subsequent meals.
 Pancreas
The pancreas is a large gland located just inferior and
posterior to the stomach. It is about 6 inches long and
shaped like short, lumpy snake with its “head”
connected to the duodenum and its “tail” pointing to
the left wall of the abdominal cavity. The pancreas
secretes digestive enzymes into the small intestine to
complete the chemical digestion of foods.

Large Intestine
The large intestine is a long, thick tube about 2 ½ inches in diameter and
about 5 feet long. It is located just inferior to the stomach and wraps around
the superior and lateral border of the small intestine. The large intestine
absorbs water and contains many symbiotic bacteria that aid in the breaking
down of wastes to extract some small amounts of nutrients. Feces in the large
intestine exit the body through the anal canal.

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