alleryStart learning →What is the role of the teeth in digestion?
AThey absorb nutrients from the food
BThey secrete the first digestive enzyme
CThey physically break food into pieces
DThey push the food down the esophagus
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. They physically break food into pieces
1. Digestion begins at the mouth, with the intake of food.
2. The teeth masticate, or chew, breaking the food physically into smaller particles.
3. That is a mechanical change, not a chemical one.
4. The enzymes in saliva do the chemical work at this stage.
_Source: OpenStax Biology 1e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 34 "Animal Nutrition and the Digestive System", section Monogastric: Single-chambered Stomach_
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