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The inspection of the mouth is quick and painless!

The step-by-step routine is given in the guide, which is available for free downloading

 The step-by-step routine is given in the guide, which is available for free downloading

Examine the patient under appropriate lighting. If your patient wears removable prostheses (partial or full dentures), ask him/her to remove them before the examination. Have at hand disposable spatulas to move away the lips and the cheeks and gauze swabs to pull the tongue, if necessary.

All patients must be examined, but special attention must be given to those considered to be at high risk, such as smokers of any kind of substance or those who chew tobacco, individuals over 40, alcohol users, those with poor oral hygiene, undernourished, and immunosuppressed.
The examination

The examination

Examination under natural light.
The examination

The examination

Oral examination with disposable spatula and flashlight.
Lips

Lips

Start with the lips. Observe the outer aspect, the corners and the inner part. Check the gums.
Cheek Mucosae

Cheek Mucosae

Observe both mucosae of the cheeks. Check the gums.
Tongue

Tongue

Observe the dorsum and ventral aspect of the tongue. Perform the inspection recommended by Chinese Medicine / Acupuncture. Afterwards, to better see possible injuries, pull the tongue gently with the help of some gauze. Observe the floor of mouth. Carefully examine the posterior lateral borders of the tongue. Pull it gently with some gauze.
Palate and Throat

Palate and Throat

Observe the hard and soft palate. Observe the throat. Ask the patient to say a long “AH”.
Cervical lymph nodes. The examination for cervical lymph nodes is carried out by standing behind the individual and slightly flexing and bending the neck to the side so that the sternocleidomastoid muscle becomes relaxed and palpation and identification of any enlarged nodes will be easier.

Neck

Palpate the neck and the areas under the jaw for hard ‘lumps’.

What to look for?

We strongly recommend special attention to white, red or pigmented lesions; Injuries that bleed and do not heal. Difficulty swallowing and chronic hoarseness are also alarming symptoms, as some tumors are located in the throat region and are not visible on a simple clinical examination.

Learn how to identify anatomic variations and oral lesions