The cheeks ( la, buccae) constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the

nose A nose is a protuberance in vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxy ...

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 animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an onto ...

. In other animals the cheeks may also be referred to as jowls.

Structure

Humans

Cheeks are fleshy in humans, the skin being suspended by the chin and the jaws, and forming the lateral wall of the human mouth, visibly touching the

cheekbone In the human skull The skull is a bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store miner ...

below the eye. The inside of the cheek is lined with a

mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into ...

(buccal mucosa, part of the

oral mucosa The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Mem ...

). During

mastication Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth A tooth (plural, : teeth) is a hard, calcification, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to Mastication, break dow ...

(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

ruminant Ruminants (suborder Ruminantia) are ungulate, hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by Enteric fermentation, fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally ...

s). 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

(chewing), the cheeks and tongue between them serve to keep the food between the teeth. Some animals such as

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodent Rodents (from Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-Europe ...

s and

hamster Hamsters are rodent Rodents (from Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (th ...

s use the buccal pouch to carry food or other items. Chipmunk with Full Cheeks

In some

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexual ...

s, markings on the cheek area, particularly immediately beneath the eye, often serve as important distinguishing features between

species In biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that ...

individual An individual is that which exists as a distinct entity An entity is something that exists as itself, as a subject or as an object, actually or potentially, concretely or abstractly, physically or not. It need not be of material existence. I ...

Buttocks

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

Society and culture

The cheek is the most common location from which a DNA sample can be taken. (Some saliva is collected from inside the mouth, e.g. using a cotton-tipped rod called a swab or " Q-Tip". The procedure of collecting a sample in that way can be called a "cheek swab").

References

External links

* {{Authority control Human head and neck Facial features