Unit 5- P4

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P4 The digestive system The digestive system is a number of organs which are the mouth, stomach, the small and large intestines, esophagus, and liver. These organs all play a part in breaking down food so that the body can use it for different jobs. Food being broken down and used involves different steps and different organs to be able to do different jobs. The digestive system process begins in the mouth where the teeth and the muscles of the mouth begin the digestive process by breaking down food into smaller pieces. The saliva which is contained in the mouth which is produces by the salivary glands begins to digest the food before the food is even swallowed. Saliva and the other chemicals which are produced along the way help speed up the digestive process which is called digestive enzymes. The mouth which is also known as the oral cavity is a specialized organ which receives food and breaks it into smaller pieces. The mouth is changed mechanically when biting and chewing food. In a humans mouth there are teeth and within a human they are four types of teeth which are used for different functions such as the incisor teeth are for biting and are found are the front of the mouth. The other types of teeth are the canines which are used for tearing food and premolars and molars which are used for grinding, pounding and crushing the food. The food that is taken in through the mouth is moistened by saliva which is a sticky fluid that binds the food particles together to create a soft mass. Saliva contains enzymes which are called amylase which digest the starch molecules into smaller molecules. When chewing food the tongue is used to move food about and manipulates it into a mass called bolus. The bolus is pushed to the back of the throat and is forced through the opening of the esophagus. The esophagus is a tick muscular tube which is located behind the

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