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]]s, 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 mouth|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=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 [[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==
* {{Commons category inline|Cheeks}}

{{Human regional anatomy}}

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