The tongue base is slung in the oral cavity by which muscles from the front and back?

• A. Styloglossus and Hyoglossus
• B. Palatoglossus and Genioglossus
• C. Genioglossus and Styloglossus
• D. Hyoglossus and Palatoglossus

Answer: (C)

Tongue base is held in place by a front-to-back sling formed by two extrinsic muscles: one from the front and one from the back. The front muscle is the genioglossus, which fans from the mandible into the tongue and helps stabilize and protrude the tongue, anchoring the base. The back muscle is the styloglossus, arising from the styloid process and pulling the tongue up and back, keeping the base elevated and within the oral cavity. Other muscles have different roles—hyoglossus depresses the tongue, and palatoglossus elevates the posterior tongue and helps form the palatoglossal arch—so they don’t form the primary sling for the tongue base.