# Cheek

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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cheek.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheek
> Source revision: 1351138000
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{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](/source/zygomaticus_major) (red), which is contained within the cheeks and is integral to the action of smiling
| Precursor   =
| System      =
| Artery      = [Buccal artery](/source/Buccal_artery)
| Vein        =
| Nerve       = [Buccal nerve](/source/Buccal_nerve), [buccal branch of the facial nerve](/source/buccal_branch_of_the_facial_nerve)
| Lymph       =
}}
{{Wiktionary}}
The '''cheeks''' ({{langx|la|buccae}}) constitute the area of the [face](/source/face) below the [eye](/source/eye)s and between the [nose](/source/nose) and the left or right [ear](/source/ear). '''''Buccal''''' means relating to the cheek. In [human](/source/human)s, the region is innervated by the [buccal nerve](/source/buccal_nerve). The area between the inside of the cheek and the teeth and gums is called the '''[vestibule](/source/vestibule_of_the_mouth)''' or '''''buccal'' pouch''' or '''''buccal'' cavity''' and forms part of the [mouth](/source/Human_mouth). In other animals, the cheeks may also be referred to as "'''jowls'''".

==Structure==
Cheeks are fleshy in humans,<ref>{{DorlandsDict|two/000019897|cheek}}</ref> the skin being suspended by the [chin](/source/chin) and the [jaw](/source/jaw)s, and forming the lateral wall of the human mouth, visibly touching the [cheekbone](/source/cheekbone) below the eye. The inside of the cheek is lined with a [mucous membrane](/source/mucous_membrane) (''buccal'' mucosa, part of the [oral mucosa](/source/oral_mucosa)).

During [mastication](/source/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](/source/DNA) sample can be taken. (Some saliva is collected from inside the mouth, e.g. using a cotton-tipped rod called a [swab](/source/cotton_swab) or "{{nowrap|[Q-Tip](/source/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](/source/stratified_squamous_epithelium). This is mostly smooth, but may have caudally directed [papillae](/source/lingual_papillae) (e.g., in [ruminant](/source/ruminant)s).<ref name="kla">{{cite book |last1=Budras |first1=Budras |title=Bovine Anatomy: An Illustrated Text |date=2003 |publisher=Schlütersche |isbn=3899930002 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bovineanatomyill00klau_676/page/n53 44] |url=https://archive.org/details/bovineanatomyill00klau_676 |url-access=limited}}</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 [zygomatic](/source/Zygomaticus_major_muscle) gland. During [mastication](/source/mastication), the cheeks and tongue between them serve to keep the food between the teeth.

Some animals such as [squirrel](/source/squirrel)s and [hamster](/source/hamster)s use the [buccal pouch](/source/buccal_pouch) to carry food or other items.

[[File:Chipmunk with Full Cheeks.jpg|thumb|An [eastern chipmunk](/source/eastern_chipmunk) using its buccal pouch to store food]]
In some [vertebrate](/source/vertebrate)s, markings on the cheek area, particularly immediately beneath the eye, often serve as important distinguishing features between [species](/source/species) or [individual](/source/individual)s.

==See also==
{{Anatomy terms}}
* [Blushing](/source/Blushing)
* [Cheek augmentation](/source/Cheek_augmentation)
* [Cheek kissing](/source/Cheek_kissing)
* [Erythema infectiosum](/source/Erythema_infectiosum)
* [High cheekbones](/source/High_cheekbones)
* [Slapped cheek](/source/Slapped_cheek)
* [Zygomatic bone](/source/Zygomatic_bone)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category inline|Cheeks}}

{{Human regional anatomy}}

{{Authority control}}
Category:Facial features
Category:Human head and neck

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cheek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheek) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheek?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.