Salivary Glands and Oral Mucosa Flashcards
What does the oral mucosa consist of?
Stratified squamous epithelium
Lamina propria of dense connective tissue
Submucosa of loose connective tissue
Where is the epithelium keratinised in the oral mucosa?
Dorsum of tongue, hard palate and oral gingiva
Where are the areas lacking keratin in oral mucosa?
Ventral surface of tongue, cheeks, lips, floor of mouth and soft palate
What is the nasal cavity lined with?
Respiratory epithelium
What is the dorsal surface of the tongue lined with?
Keratinised stratified squamous epithelium
What are the different tongue papillae?
Filiform, Fungiform, Foliate and Circumvallate
Describe Filiform Papillae?
Conical shape, no taste buds, heavily keratinised
Describe Fungiform Papillae?
Blunt, taste buds
Describe Foliate Papillae?
Slit-like on margin of tongue, taste buds
Describe Circumvallate Papillae?
Large, dome-shaped, 6-12 in two lines, form a ‘v’, point between glossopharyngeal and facial nerve innervation, taste buds found at papillae margin facing the cleft
What are taste buds?
Multicellular chemoreceptive units formed form modified epithelial cells which are innervated
What are the three major salivary glands?
Parotid, Submandibular and Sublingual glands
Where are the major salivary glands found?
Outside the oral cavity
What is the structure of salivary glands?
Stroma and parenchyma
What is parenchyma?
A compound of tubule-acinar glands
How does merocrine secretion occur?
Via exocytosis when the membranes surrounding the secretory vesicles fuse with the cell membrane
The secretory elements of salivary glands are classified as what?
Serous or mucous
What do serous cells secrete?
A thin watery secretion that contains proteins and ions
What do mucous cells secrete?
Mucin, which consists of a protein core that is hightail decorated with sugar residues and results in a viscous sticky secretion
Where do mucous cells tend to be found?
In the tubular element of the tubuloacinar glandular structure
What is it called when the serous cells often appear as a crested shaped collection of cells at the end of the secretory unit?
Serous Dermilune
Where does the acinus empty into?
Intercalacted duct
Where does the intercalated duct empty into?
Striated duct
Describe a striated duct?
Columnar, have their nucleus in a central position and have prominent striations at their basal surfaces
Are the striated duct and intercalated duct interlobular?
Yes
Where do the striated duct empty into?
Excretory duct
What are the collecting ducts lined with?
Pseudostratified columnar epithelium
What happens when the excretory duct merges?
The duct becomes larger and near the opening in the oral cavity, the lining of the duct becomes stratified squamous epithelium
Where are minor salivary glands found?
Scattered throughout the oral mucosa
Where are the minor salivary glands absent?
Gingiva and the anterior portion of the hard palate
What are the Von Ebner’s glands associated with?
The circumvallate papillae
Function of Von Ebner’s glands?
Their serous secretion helps dissolve food molecules to aid taste and also keep the cleft flushed to allow for the next taste
What is found in the lamina propria of the oral mucosa?
Salivary glands
How are the intrinsic skeletal muscle bundles found in directionality?
Longitudinal, transverse and vertical
What are the functions of salivary glands?
Protection Buffering Tooth integrity Antimicrobial activity Digestion Taste
Examples of minor glands?
Lingual glands Minor sublingual glands Labial glands Palatine glands Buccal glands
What are the 3 types of oral mucosa?
Lining mucosa, masticatory mucosa and specialised mucosa
Where is masticatory mucosa found?
Covering the hard palate and gingiva
Characteristics of masticatory mucosa?
It is keratinised or para-keratinised
Is lining mucosa keratinised?
No
Is the vermillion border of the lips keratinised?
Yes
Functions of mucins?
Provide lubrication for oral tissues to move
Function of bicarbonate?
Protects the teeth from bacterial acids
What travels with the septa of salivary glands?
Serous acini, mucous acini and mixed acini
How is secretion produced?
Merocrine secretion
How does merocrine secretion occur?
Exocytosis
What are the different types of duct morphology?
Simple and compound
What are the different types of arrangements of secretory elements?
Tuboacinar
What type of glands are salivary glands?
Compound tuboacinar glands
Intercalated duct epithelium?
Simple cuboidal
