Man is omnivorous - feeding on different kinds of food. Thus, the structure of the digestive system should be adapted to this diet. The human digestive system consists of an alimentary canal, which is approximately 8metres long. The alimentary canal also carries out absorption of the digested food in addition to digestion.
The digestive system is an organ system. An organ system is a collection of organs which carry out a life process.The structures that form the digestive system are discussed here.
Mouth Cavity
It is the anterior opening of the digestive system which ingests food. It has a muscular tongue on which are arranged the taste buds. There are two rows of teeth - upper and lower.
Teeth
are structures present on the jaw bones extending into the buccal cavity which help in mastication of food.
Structure of a Typical Tooth
A tooth consists of two main parts:
- crown
- root
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| A total of 32 teeth are present in the normal human adult. |
