FLOOR OF THE MOUTH: A REVIEW

Abstract

The objective of this review article was to describe the anatomical structures that make up the floor of the mouth, and its possible anatomical variations. A bibliographic review was carried out by searching for articles in databases and the internet from 2002 to 2019. A total of 107 articles related to the topic were identified, which, after analyzing the titles, abstracts, duplicate references, inclusion criteria, exclusion, a final purification of the content led to the final selection of 26 articles, to be analyzed. The evaluated literature describes the muscular, glandular (sublingual and submaxillary gland), vascular and nervous structures corresponding to the floor of the mouth. Based on the information obtained, the literature is limited regarding definition, location and anatomical structures such as muscles, major salivary glands corresponding to the floor of the mouth. Not so, regarding the innervation of this region, in this way, it is important to understand the anatomical variations found in the literature, and for the dental professional to be kept updated with additional information to the classic anatomy of exposed nerves, to adopt techniques of alternative anesthesia, since such variations may prevent a clinician from achieving successful pain control.