초록
Food intake and swallowing are complicated and intriguing series of movements involving voluntary and involuntary activities of cranial and spinal nerves and muscles. They have two most important functions, that is, food passage from the oral cavity to stomach and airway protection. Tongue, buccinators, and hyoid bone and its muscular attachments are anatomic structures for swallowing of special interests. The swallowing process of liquid is commonly divided into oral preparatory, oral propulsive, pharyngeal, and esophageal stages according to the location of the bolus. The movement of the food in the oral cavity and to the oropharynx differs between eating solid food and drinking liquid.