口腔生理学是口腔医学的重要专业基础课程之一，是以研究口腔功能活动规律及其临床应用为主要内容的学科。目的在于阐明口腔功能活动原理、发生条件及其影响因素，紧密联系临床实际，从而为后继的口腔临床医学课程奠定必要的基础。   

Physiology is the branch of biology that deals with the study of functions of livingmatter. Oral physiology, therefore, is the study of functions of the mouth and associated structures.

For most organisms, beginning with those consisting of single cells, the fundamental function of the mouth is feeding. Because the oral cavity is the portal to the gastrointestinal tract, food materials are taken into the mouth, chewed, and swallowed. However, before these basic events occur, food has to be selected from potential sources in the environment, and when taken into the oral cavity it must be analyzed as suitable for entry into the gastrointestinal tract. A central focus of this course is to understand how the oral cavity performs the primary feeding functions of guiding food intake and preparing the food for swallowing and digestion.

Another important function of the human mouth is speech production. Although many animals use their mouths to produce various sounds, only humans use speech to communicate through language. This very important function involves sophisticated control of many oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal structures to generate various sounds involved in speech production.

Other possible functions of the oral cavity could be suggested, such as holding objects; while this function is quite important in animals, it is trivial in humans; therefore, the role of the oral cavity as a prehensile organ and other more minor functions will not be considered in this course.