View source for Cheek

{{short description |Facial feature}}
{{other uses|Cheek (disambiguation)|Cheeks (disambiguation)}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox anatomy
| Name        = Cheek
| Latin       = bucca
| Image       = File:Cheek.jpg
| Caption     = Cheek of a female human
| Image2       = File:Sobo 1909 260 - Zygomaticus major muscle.png
| Caption2     = A diagram detailing human facial muscles, including the [[zygomaticus major]] (red), which is contained within the cheeks and is integral to the action of smiling
| Precursor   =
| System      =
| Artery      = [[Buccal artery]]
| Vein        =
| Nerve       = [[Buccal nerve]], [[buccal branch of the facial nerve]]
| Lymph       =
}}
{{wiktionary}}
The '''cheeks''' ({{langx|la|buccae}}) constitute the area of the [[face]] below the [[eye]]s and between the [[nose]] and the left or right [[ear]]. '''''Buccal''''' means relating to the cheek. In [[Human|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 of the ear|vestibule]]''' or '''''buccal'' pouch''' or '''''buccal'' cavity''' and forms part of the [[Human mouth|mouth]]. In other animals, the cheeks may also be referred to as "'''[[wikt:jowl|jowl]]s'''".
==Structure==
Cheeks are fleshy in humans,<ref>{{DorlandsDict|two/000019897|cheek}}</ref> the skin being suspended by the [[chin]] and the [[jaw]]s, 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.
==Clinical significance==
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 [[cotton swab|swab]] or "{{nowrap|[[Q-Tip]]}}". The procedure of collecting a sample in that way is typically called a "cheek swab").
== 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 [[Lingual papillae|papillae]] (e.g., in [[ruminant]]s).<ref name="kla">{{cite book |last1=Klaus-Dieter Budras |first1=Klaus-Dieter Budras |title=Bovine Anatomy: An Illustrated Text |url=https://archive.org/details/bovineanatomyill00klau_676 |url-access=limited |date=2003 |publisher=Schlütersche |isbn=3899930002 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bovineanatomyill00klau_676/page/n53 44] }}</ref> 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 [[Zygomaticus major muscle|zygomatic]] gland. During [[mastication]], the cheeks and tongue between them serve to keep the food between the teeth.
Some animals such as [[squirrel]]s and [[hamster]]s use the [[buccal pouch]] to carry food or other items.
[[File:Chipmunk with Full Cheeks.jpg|thumb|An [[eastern chipmunk]] using its buccal pouch to store food]]
In some [[vertebrate]]s, markings on the cheek area, particularly immediately beneath the eye, often serve as important distinguishing features between [[species]] or [[individual]]s.
== See also ==
{{Anatomy-terms}}
* [[Blushing]]
* [[Cheek augmentation]]
* [[Cheek kissing]]
* [[Erythema infectiosum]]
* [[High cheekbones]]
* [[Slapped cheek]]
* [[Zygomatic bone]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{commonscatinline|Cheeks}}
{{Commons category|Cheeks}}
{{human anatomical features}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Human head and neck]]
[[Category:Facial features]]