oral mucosa

Question 1

what are the functions of the oral mucosa?

Answer 1

-protection
- sensation
- secretion
- absorption
- thermoregulation in animals not humans

Question 2

what are the types of oral mucosa?

Answer 2

• masticatory (hard palate)
• lining (soft tissues and under tongue)
• gustatory (upper surface of tongue)

Question 3

describe lining mucosa

Answer 3

• mobile and distensible
• non-keratinised
• loose lamina propria
• wide submucosa
• more rapid turnover than masticatory mucosa
• heals faster as it’s non-keratinised

Question 4

describe gustatory mucosa

Answer 4

• similar to the masticatory mucosa
• keratinised
• present ONLY on the dorsum of the tongue
• characterised by papillae, some bearing tastebuds

Question 5

what is the structure of the mucosa structure?

Answer 5

• epithelium
• lamina propria
• submucosa
• bone

Question 6

describe the layers of the epidermis

Answer 6

• stratum corneum (cornfield layer, keratinised, no nuclei)
• stratum granulosum (granular layer)
• stratum spiniosum (prickle cell layer- cells have peaks)
• stratum germinativum (basal cell layer- cells reproducing/ in mitosis)

Question 7

what is the top layer of non-keratinised epithelium?

Answer 7

the superficial layer- nuclei in cells

Question 8

what is the difference between para-keratinised and keratinised epithelium?

Answer 8

• nuclei present in para
• faster cell shedding in para

Question 9

describe the masticatory mucosa

Answer 9

• hard palate
• firm
• keratinised epithelium
• rete regs

Question 10

what are rete pegs?

Answer 10

epithelial extensions which project into the underlying connective tissue in skin and mucous membranes

Question 11

what are tonofilaments?

Answer 11

bundles of packed keratin filaments

Question 12

what is the structure of the lining mucosa?

Answer 12

• epithelium
• loose lamina propria
• submucosa
• bone/muscle

Question 13

what is the mucogingival junction?

Answer 13

the junction between the soft, fleshy mucus membrane of the oral cavity and the tough, collagen rich gingiva

Question 14

what % of epithelial cells do non-keratinocytes make up?

Answer 14

10%

Question 15

what are non-keratinocytes?

Answer 15

• no keratin
• clear cells
• melanocytes, merkel cells, langerhan’s cells

Question 16

what is the stratum germinativum?

Answer 16

• also called the stratum basale
• attaches the epidermis to dermis
• deepest layer of epidermis

Question 17

what are melanocytes?

Answer 17

• pigment producing
• located in the stratum germinativum

Question 18

what are merkel cells?

Answer 18

• associated with mecanoreceptor neurons
• located in the stratum germinativum

Question 19

filliform vs fungiform papillae

Answer 19

filliform are more common, rounder, smaller with no taste buds and keratinised
fungiform are mushroom shaped, have tastebuds and sensory nerves, found at tip of tongue and are NON-karatinised

Question 20

what are vallate papillae?

Answer 20

the largest kind of papillae

Question 21

describe the structure of the lip

Answer 21

• labial mucosa
• vermillion border

Question 22

what is geographical tongue?

Answer 22

• oral disease
• irregular smooth dorsal regions
• no filliform papillae
• red/white margins
• pattern changes
• children and adults
• asymptomatic- sometimes uncomfortable
• histologically similar to psoriasis
• no treatment is normally required

Question 23

what are some diseases of oral mucosa?

Answer 23

• oral infection
• oral ulceration
• vesiculo-bullous lesions
• white patches
• premalignant conditions
• pigmented lesions
• oral cancer