Is It Normal To See Epiglottis At The Entrance Of Larynx?

Posted on Wed, 12 Dec 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 Answered on

Wed, 2 Jan 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : is it normal for me to see my 3 year old son's epiglottis when he sticks his tongue out really far and goes "ahhh"?

Answered by Dr. Pavan Kumar Gupta (2 hours later)

Hello,
Thanks for the query.
The epiglottis is located at the entrance to the larynx. It looks like a tiny little punching bag. The epiglottis is part of the voice box and helps to direct food to the esophagus.
Although it may be seen by opening the mouth very wide but it is seen on an average in 2 to 3 children per 100 children.
If the child is healthy and there are no symptoms,epiglottis is less likely to be visualised.

I hope to have answered your query however you may revert to me for any further query.
Best of luck
Thanks

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar