ʻO ke alelo (mai ka ʻōlelo Latina) he ʻōkana paʻa i loko o ka waha a he mau hana nui ka ʻōlelo a me ka meaʻai.

'ole. ʻO ke alelo he 17 mau ʻiʻo, intrinsic a extrinsic, vascularized loa, i uhi ʻia e kahi membrane mucous. Loaʻa i ke alelo ka ʻike, naʻau a me ka ʻenekini.

 Ma kahi o 10cm ka lōʻihi, ua māhele ʻia ke alelo i ʻelua ʻāpana:

- ʻO ke kino, kelepona a me ka ʻāpana ʻike ʻia, i haku ʻia me 2 mau ʻāpana: ʻo ka ʻāpana pharyngeal, aia ma ke kua o ka waha a me ka ʻāpana buccal, i manaʻo pinepine ʻia ʻo ke alelo. Ua uhi ʻia ka hope i nā papillae a pili i ka papahele o ka waha e ka frenulum (²).

- ʻO ke aʻa, pili i ka iwi hyoid, i ka ʻāʻī a me ka pale o ka puck, ʻo ia ka ʻāpana paʻa i hūnā ʻia ma lalo o ke kino.

Hana ʻono. He koʻikoʻi ko ke alelo i ka ʻono e hoʻomaikaʻi i nā ʻono ʻōlelo. ʻO kekahi o kēia mau mea ʻono he mau mea ʻono e ʻike ai i nā ʻono like ʻole: ʻono, paʻakai, ʻawaʻawa, ʻawaʻawa a me ka umami.

Hana i ka nau. He mea maʻalahi ke alelo i ka nau ʻana i ka meaʻai, ʻo ia hoʻi ka bolus, ma ka hui ʻana a hoʻokuʻi ʻia i nā niho (2).

Māhele i ka ale ʻana. He kuleana koʻikoʻi ko ke alelo i ka ʻai ʻana ma ke kaomi ʻana i ka bolus o ka meaʻai ma hope o ka puʻu, i loko o ka puʻu (2).

Ke kuleana ma ka ʻōlelo. E like me ka larynx a me nā kaula leo, hoʻokani ke alelo i ka phonation a hiki ke hoʻopuka i nā leo like ʻole (2).

ʻEha ʻo Canker. ʻO ka ʻaoʻao o loko o ka waha, a ʻo ke alelo hoʻi, ʻo ia ke kahua o ka ʻike ʻia ʻana o nā maʻi ʻeha, ʻo ia hoʻi nā maʻi ʻeha liʻiliʻi. Hiki i nā kumu he nui e like me ke koʻikoʻi, ka ʻeha, ka naʻau o ka meaʻai, a me nā mea ʻē aʻe. I kekahi mau hihia, hiki i kēia mau maʻi ʻeha ke ulu a lilo i stomatitis aphthous ke ʻike pinepine ʻia (3).

Nā papa kuhikuhi. ʻO Glossitis nā maʻi ʻeha e hōʻeha ai ke alelo a ʻulaʻula. Hiki iā lākou ma muli o kahi maʻi o ka ʻōnaehana digestive.

Maʻi maʻi Fungal. ʻO nā maʻi hū waha nā maʻi i hoʻokumu ʻia e ka haʻo. Loaʻa maoli i loko o ka waha, hiki ke hoʻonui i kēia haʻuki i ka pane ʻana i nā kumu like ʻole a hoʻoulu i ka maʻi.

Glossoplegia. He maʻi lolo kēia e pili ana i hoʻokahi ʻaoʻao o ke alelo e pilikia ai ka haʻi ʻana.

ʻO nā Tumors. Hiki ke ulu ka ma'i ma'i ma'i (non-cancerous) a me malignant (cancerous) ma nā wahi like 'ole o ke alelo.

Kāohi. Hiki i ka ho'oma'ema'e waha maika'i ke pale i kekahi mau ma'i alelo.

ʻO ka lāʻau lapaʻau. Ma muli o ka maʻi, hiki ke kuhikuhi ʻia ka mālama ʻana me nā antifungals, antibiotics a i ʻole ka inika antiviral.

ʻO keʻano maʻamau. Me ka maʻi kanesa o ke alelo, hiki ke hana ʻia ke ʻoki ʻana no ka wehe ʻana i ka ʻōpū.

Chemotherapy, radiotherapy. Hiki ke kuhikuhi ʻia kēia mau lāʻau lapaʻau no ka maʻi kanesa.

Ke kaulike. Hana ʻia kahi nānā ʻana o ke kumu o ke alelo me ke aniani liʻiliʻi e nānā i kona kūlana, a me ke kala o kona mucous membrane. Hiki ke hana ʻia ka palpation o ke alelo.

ʻImi hoʻokolohua kiʻi. Hiki ke hana ʻia kahi x-ray, CT scan, a i ʻole MRI no ka hoʻopau ʻana i ka ʻike.

Ua ʻōlelo ʻia i kēia lā, ʻo ka palapala ʻōlelo, e helu ana i kēlā me kēia ʻono ma kahi kikoʻī o ka alelo, he moʻolelo wale nō. ʻOiaʻiʻo, ʻo ka noiʻi, ʻo ia hoʻi ʻo Virginia Collins, ua hōʻoia i ka hiki ke ʻike i nā ʻono ʻono i loko o ka ʻono i nā ʻono like ʻole. (5)