{{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 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,<ref>{{DorlandsDict|two/000019897|cheek}}</ref> 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.

==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 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 papillae (e.g., in ruminants).<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 gland. During mastication, 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.

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

==See also== {{Anatomy terms}} * Blushing * Cheek augmentation * Cheek kissing * Erythema infectiosum * High cheekbones * Slapped cheek * Zygomatic bone

==References== {{Reflist}}

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

{{Human regional anatomy}}

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