Oropharynx

The Oropharynx (oral part of the pharynx) reaches from the Uvula to the level of the hyoid bone.

It opens anteriorly, through the isthmus faucium, into the mouth, while in its lateral wall, between the two palatine arches, is the palatine tonsil.

Fusobacterium
Although older resources have stated that Fusobacterium is a common occurrence in the human oropharynx, the current consensus is that Fusobacterium should always be treated as a pathogen.

HACEK organisms
The name is formed from their initials:


 * Haemophilus
 * Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans
 * ''Cardiobacterium hominis
 * Eikenella corrodens
 * Kingella

All of these organisms are part of the normal oropharyngeal flora which grow slowly, prefer a carbon dioxide rich atmosphere, and share an enhanced capacity to produce endocardial infections, especially in young children.

Actinomyces
Actinomyces species that cause human disease do not exist freely in nature but are normal flora of the oropharynx.