Oral Mucosa Flashcards
What type of epithelium is the oral cavity?
Stratified squamous
What is parakeratosis?
Abnormal retention of keratitis nuclei in the stratum corneal caused by incomplete maturation of keratinocytes.
What is acanthosis?
Hyperplasia of the stratum spinosum.
- caused by a reactive change.
What causes elongated rate ridges?
Hyperplasia of basal cells.
What is keratosis?
Keratin in a non-keratinised site.
Will appear white on the mucosa.
Where does cell division occur normally?
Basal and supra basal cells.
Describe the layers of the oral epithelium?
Stratum corneum
Stratum Granulosum
Stratum spinosum
Stratum basale
What is atrophy?
Reduction in viable layers of the mucosa.
Redlesions- because blood vessels will be closer tot he surface.
What is erosion?
Partial thickness loss of the mucosa.
Upper layers lost but some still remain- appear red.
What is ulceration?
Full thickness loss with fibrin on surface- exposure of underlying lamina propria.
Fibrin on the surface makes the lesion look yellow.
What is oedema?
Fluid accumulation, either within cells or in between cells.
Why might there be changes to the oral mucosa?
Age- progressive atrophy
Nutritional deficiency- Iron, B12, folate
What are the 3 main types of oral mucosa?
Lining- buccal mucosa, labial mucosa, soft palate, nonkeratinised
Masticatory- Gingivae, hard palate parakeratinised
Gustatory- dorsum of the tongue, keratinised
Why is masticatory mucosa so tightly bound tot he underlying bone?
No submucosal layer- tissue is very tight.
What does the submucosa layer allow in the lining mucosa?
Allows it to be flexible.
