The digestive system is like a tube – this is known as the digestive tract or the alimentary canal. Food enters the tube in the mouth and waste leaves the body through the rectum and anus.
Discovery
Learning Saliva in the mouth contains an enzyme. Can you find out what it is called and explain what it does?
The mouth
In the mouth, the teeth and jaws crush and grind the food into small particles and mix them with saliva from the salivary glands, making it easier to swallow.
Teeth There are four different types of teeth in the mouth and each has a different job.
1. Incisors are for cutting and chopping food.
2. Canines are for cutting and tearing food.
3. Premolars are for crushing and grinding food.
4. Molars are for grinding and mashing food.
The chewed food is then swallowed and moves into the oesophagus.
The oesophagus
The food passes down the oesophagus, which is a tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. The oesophagus is about 25 cm long. The food is squeezed along the oesophagus by a process called peristalsis. It takes about three to six seconds for food to go from the mouth to the stomach.
Incisors Teeth Molars Premolars Canine
Oesophagus Stomach
The oesophagus 48
Strand 1: Food, Health and Culinary Skills Section 2: Nutrition Know-How
