The dissection of the oral cavity requires bisection of the tongue. Remember that many of the structures (e.g., extrinsic muscles, C.N. XII, lingual a., etc) have already been dissected.

Basic concepts:
You may wish to review the basic concepts for the head and neck at this time. The link opens a new window which you will need to close to return to this page.

Specific Learning Objectives:

1. Define intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of the tongue.
2. Demonstrate the branches of the external carotid and their distributions.
3. List the parts of the digestive and respiratory tracts in this region, including the salivary glands.
4. Describe the components and distribution of each cranial nerve.
5. Identify anatomic structures in radiographic studies including X-ray, CT scans and MRI films.

Difficult parts of the dissection:

1. This dissection is made less difficult if you remember to reconstruct the parts then find and follow structures that you had dissected previously.