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Age-related features of the oral cavity, tongue, salivary glands
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
The oral cavity of a newborn is small. The vestibule is separated from the oral cavity by the so-called gingival margin, not by the alveolar processes. The lips are thick, the mucous membrane is covered with papillae. There are transverse ridges on the inner surface of the lips. The intermediate part (transitional zone) is narrow, the orbicularis oris muscle is well developed.
The hard palate is flat, located at the level of the vault of the pharynx, the soft palate is short, located horizontally. The soft palate does not touch the back wall of the pharynx, which allows free breathing during sucking. The mucous membrane of the hard palate forms weakly expressed transverse folds and is poor in glands.
The tongue of a newborn is wide, short, thick, and slightly mobile. It occupies the entire oral cavity. When the oral cavity is closed, it extends beyond the edges of the gums and reaches the cheeks. In front, the tongue protrudes between the upper and lower jaws into the vestibule of the mouth, which is very small in a newborn. The papillae of the tongue are pronounced, the lingual tonsil is poorly developed.
With the appearance of milk teeth, and then during the period of early childhood, there is a significant increase in the size of the alveolar processes of the upper jaw, the alveolar part of the lower jaw and the oral cavity. The hard palate seems to rise.
The palatine tonsil (see organs of the immune system) in a newborn is small (up to 7 mm), but is clearly visible when the mouth is open, as it is weakly covered by the anterior arch. By the end of the first year of a child's life, the tonsil protrudes medially from the tonsillar fossa due to rapid growth. In children, the tonsil is relatively large. It reaches its maximum size (28 mm) by the age of 16.
The salivary glands of a newborn are poorly developed. They grow especially quickly after 4 months, during the first 2 years. Later, the glands increase in length, their ducts become more branched. The duct of the parotid salivary gland is located lower than in adults, opening at the level of the first molar.
Children's cheeks are convex due to the presence of a rounded fat pad between the skin and the well-developed buccinator muscle. With age, the fat pad becomes flatter and moves back, behind the masseter muscle.
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