General Medical Information

Oropharynx

Susan D. John
Michael D. Maves

The oropharynx is continuous anteriorly through the fauces, or oral pharyngeal isthmus, with the oral cavity. The boundaries of the fauces are the posterior border of the soft palate above, the palatine arches laterally, and the dorsum of the tongue. Below the fauces, the anterior wall of the pharynx is the posterior or pharyngeal dorsum of the tongue. On the posterior parts of the dorsum of the tongue lie irregular nodules of tissue known as the lingual tonsils. The lateral wall of the passageway of the fauces houses the large palatine tonsils. The lingual tonsils in the anterior aspect, the palatine tonsils in the lateral aspect, and the pharyngeal tonsils or adenoids in the posterior and superior aspects form a ring of lymphoid tissue known as the Waldeyer ring.