Oral

Oral is an adjective derived from the Latin os, oris meaning mouth. It is used to describe anything pertaining to the mouth or to speech and language, and appears in medical, dental, and cultural contexts. In anatomy, the oral cavity is the entryway to the digestive tract and includes the lips, teeth, gums, tongue, palate, and the floor of the mouth, lined by mucous membrane. It extends from the lips anteriorly to the oropharynx posteriorly and houses structures such as the tongue, taste buds, salivary glands, and teeth. The mouth performs ingestion, mastication, taste, speech, and swallowing, and plays a key role in digestion and communication.

In medicine and pharmacology, oral refers to routes or forms of administration taken by mouth. Oral administration is common for drugs and nutrients and includes tablets, capsules, solutions, suspensions, and orally disintegrating formulations. Advantages include convenience and non-invasiveness; limitations include variable absorption, first-pass metabolism, and potential irritation of the gastrointestinal tract.

Oral health is a central concern in dentistry and includes the prevention and treatment of caries (tooth decay), periodontal disease, oral cancers, and mucosal lesions. Oral hygiene practices such as brushing, flossing, and regular dental checkups reduce disease risk and support function and aesthetics. In dentistry, oral surgery includes tooth extractions, implants, and reconstructive procedures.

In anthropology and linguistics, "oral" also denotes spoken rather than written forms, as in oral tradition and oral communication, which transmit language, culture, and information through spoken word.