Cheek

Cheek
Girl with prominent (puffy) cheeks.
Details
Artery	Buccal artery
Nerve	Buccal nerve, buccal branch of the facial nerve
Identifiers
Latin	Bucca
MeSH	A01.456.505.173
Dorlands /Elsevier	c_25/12230932
TA	A01.1.00.008
FMA	46476
*Anatomical terminology*

Look up cheek in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Cheeks (Latin: buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. "Buccal" means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the inside of the cheek and the teeth and gums is called the vestibule or buccal pouch or buccal cavity and forms part of the mouth. In other animals the cheeks may also be referred to as jowls.

Structure

Cheeks are fleshy in humans,^[1] the skin being suspended by the chin and the jaws, and forming the lateral wall of the human mouth, visibly touching the cheekbone below the eye. The inside of the cheek is lined with a mucous membrane (buccal mucosa, part of the oral mucosa).

During mastication (chewing), the cheeks and tongue between them serve to keep the food between the teeth.

Other animals

The cheeks are covered externally by hairy skin, and internally by stratified squamous epithelium. This is mostly smooth, but may have caudally directed papillae (e.g., in ruminants).^[2] The mucosa is supplied with secretions from the Buccal glands, which are arranged in superior and inferior groups. In carnivores, the superior buccal gland is large and discrete: the Zygomatic gland. During mastication (chewing), the cheeks and tongue between them serve to keep the food between the teeth.

Some animals such as squirrels and hamsters use the buccal pouch to carry food or other items.

Malar stripes of a cheetah

In some vertebrates, markings on the cheek area (malar stripes/spots/...), particularly immediately beneath the eye, often serve as important distinguishing features between species or individuals.

Buttocks

Sometimes people refer to the buttocks as the "cheeks", because of their round appearance.

Society and culture

The cheek is the most common location from which a DNA sample can be taken (during a cheek swab).

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cheeks.

↑ "cheek" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
↑ Klaus-Dieter Budras, Klaus-Dieter Budras (2003). Bovine Anatomy: An Illustrated Text. Schlütersche. p. 44. ISBN 3899930002. |access-date= requires |url= (help)

Human regional anatomy

Head

Ear
Face
- Cheek
- Chin
- Eye
- Mouth
- Nose
- Forehead
Jaw
Occiput
Scalp
Temple

Neck

Trunk

Limbs

Arm	Shoulder Axilla Brachium Elbow Forearm Wrist Hand Finger Thumb Index Middle Ring Little
Leg	Buttocks Hip Thigh Knee Calf Foot Ankle Heel Sole Toe

Other

Écorché

General anatomy: systems and organs, regional anatomy, planes and lines, superficial axial anatomy, superficial anatomy of limbs

Anatomy of the mouth
Lip	Upper Lower Vermilion border Frenulum of lower lip Labial commissure of mouth Philtrum
Cheek	Buccal fat pad
Roof	Hard palate Soft palate Palatine raphe Incisive papilla
Gums	Interdental papilla Gingival sulcus Gingival margin Gingival fibers Junctional epithelium Mucogingival junction Sulcular epithelium Stippling Periodontium Cementum Gingiva Periodontal ligament
Glands	Parotid gland duct Submandibular gland duct Sublingual gland duct
Teeth	see tooth anatomy
Tongue	Top Taste bud Median sulcus Terminal sulcus Foramen cecum Lingual tonsils Underside Frenulum Fimbriated fold Sublingual caruncle Glossoepiglottic folds Lingual septum
Back of mouth	Oropharynx fauces Plica semilunaris of the fauces Uvula Palatoglossal arch Palatopharyngeal arch Tonsillar fossa Palatine tonsil

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