ABSTRACT
Mastication and deglutition are functions of the oropharyngeal and esophageal regions which initially prepare and transport food for further processing within the gastrointestinal tract. The system is most developed in the mammal in which the jaws have become bony structures, the craniomandibular muscles have become large and powerful, and the dentition has changed adapting to a herbivore or carnivore diet.1'6 The oropharyngeal region functions in other equally important responses, such as respiration. In the human, further functions involve the same structures: the lips, teeth, tongue, mandible, and hyoid bone are involved in interacting with the larynx to develop speech.