- Frenulum
:"Frenula redirects here. For the
brachiopod genus , see "Frenula (brachiopod) A frenulum (or frenum, plural: frenula or frena, from the Latin "frēnulum", "little bridle", thediminutive of "frēnum" ) is a small fold of tissue that secures or restricts the motion of a mobile organ in thebody . A short frenulum may require afrenectomy orfrenuloplasty to achieve normal mobility.Frenula on the human body include several in the
mouth , some in thedigestive tract , and some connected to the external genitalia:
* Oral tissue: Frenula of themouth include the "frenulum linguae " under thetongue , the "f. labii superioris " inside the upper lip, the "f. labii inferioris " inside the lower lip, and thebuccal frena which connect the cheeks to the gum. These can easily be torn by violent blows to the face or mouth, thus a torn frenulum is sometimes a warning sign ofphysical abuse .
* Vulvular tissue: In females, genital frenula include the "frenulum clitoridis " of theclitoris and the "frenulum labiorum pudendi " (aka "fourchette") where thelabia minora meet at the back.
* Penile tissue: The word "frenulum" on its own is often used for thefrenulum of prepuce of penis or "frenulum preputii penis", which is an elastic band of tissue under theglans penis that connects to theprepuce , orforeskin to the vernal mucosa, and helps contract the prepuce over the glans.
* Brain:Frenulum veli In
entomology The word frenulum also refers to a bristle present at the root of the hindwing of most
moth s which engages with a small hook on the forewing to join the wings together.
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