Cheek

For other uses, see Cheek (disambiguation).

Cheek
Girl with prominent (puffy) cheeks.
Details
Latin	Bucca
Artery	Buccal artery
Nerve	Buccal nerve, buccal branch of the facial nerve
Identifiers
MeSH	A01.456.505.173
Dorlands /Elsevier	c_25/12230932
TA
TH	{{#property:P1694}}
TE	{{#property:P1693}}
FMA	{{#property:P1402}}
Anatomical terminology [[[d:|edit on Wikidata]]]

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, 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 aborally directed papillae (e.g.: ruminants). 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.

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.

Society and culture

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

See also

This article uses anatomical terminology; for an overview, see Anatomical terminology.

• High cheekbones
• Blushing
• Cheek augmentation
• Erythema infectiosum
• Tongue-in-cheek
• Zygomatic bone
• Cheek kissing
• slap cheek