Question

Which is the common passage for food and air?

Answer 1

Hint: It is the critical region that joins the oral cavity and nasopharynx with the larynx and hypopharynx and serves for both the digestive and respiratory system.

Complete answer:
The common passage for food and air is the oropharynx. All food, liquid, and air pass through this. Even though the passage of food and water and the passage of air are separated at the beginning, that is air enters through the nasal cavity, and water and food enter through the oral cavity. These two passages later unite to form oropharynx.
The word pharynx is derived from the Greek word pharynx, meaning “throat “. It is the common pathway for food and air. There are three regions of passage in the pharynx, they are:
> Nasopharynx – It is the upper portion of the pharynx which extends from the base of the skull to the upper surface of the soft palate. It is an air passage and Ulva prevents food from entering it during swallowing.
> Oropharynx – the middle portion of the pharynx. It extends from Ulva to the level of the hyoid bone. A flap of connective tissue called the epiglottis closes over the glottis when food is swallowed to prevent aspiration because both food and air pass through the pharynx . The oropharynx is lined by nonkeratinized squamous epithelium. Its main job is to swallow. It is the critical region that joins the oral cavity and nasopharynx with the larynx and hypopharynx.
> Laryngopharynx – it is also known as hypopharynx, it is a lower part of the pharynx. It connects to the esophagus and lies inferior to the epiglottis and extends to the location of the respiratory (laryngeal) and digestive (oesophageal) pathways.

Note:
- Two sets of pharyngeal muscles form the pharynx and determine the shape of its lumen in the humans.
- In the pharynx, there are a pair of soft tissue masses known as tonsils or palatine tonsils.