Which structure is located inside the nasal cavity and helps create turbulence to filter particles?

• A. Vestibule
• B. Nasal septum
• C. Turbinates
• D. Epiglottis

Answer: (C)

Inside the nasal cavity, turbinates (nasal conchae) are scroll-shaped bones on the side walls covered with mucosa. Their rough, curved surfaces disrupt smooth airflow, creating turbulence as air moves past them. This turbulence increases contact between inhaled air and the mucus lining, so particles like dust, pollen, and microbes are more likely to be trapped and then moved by cilia toward the throat to be swallowed or expelled. The mucus also helps humidify and warm the air. The vestibule filters larger particles with nose hairs at the entrance, the nasal septum is just the dividing wall between the two sides, and the epiglottis sits in the larynx, not inside the nasal cavity.