A patient with a deep cavity in #31 develops a right-sided neck swelling; the tongue is pushed upward and backward, and the uvula is deviated to the right. Which fascial space is most likely involved?

Tongue displacement (upward/backward) together with uvula deviation are classic signs of lateral (deep) pharyngeal space involvement — this space's anatomic relationships explain why an infection here can push on the tongue and pharyngeal structures asymmetrically, unlike sublingual or submandibular space infections, which more typically cause floor-of-mouth or submandibular swelling without this specific tongue/uvula displacement pattern.