The tongue is a muscular organ found in the mouth, aiding in speech and food processing (mechanical separation and forming a bolus).

Figure 1. Anatomy of the tongue (Credit: OpenStax, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Description

The tongue has a body and a root, two surfaces (inferior and dorsal), and an apex.

Its dorsal surface (the part visible at rest) is divided to an anterior and posterior parts; the visceral (inferior) surface has an attachment to the floor of the mouth through the frenulum (from Latin: "little bridle") of the tongue.

The surface landmarks of the tongue include the sulcus terminals, or the terminal sulcus – a V shaped groove between the front part and the roof of the tongue.

Papillae

The tongue has four types of papillae:

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