The Oral Environment Flashcards
what is present within the salivary glands to produce the saliva
specialised acini
what are the oral fluids
- saliva
- gingival crevicular fluid
- oral bacteria
- food debris
- epithelial cells
where is the gingival crevicular fluid found
in the crevice between the tooth and the gingiva known as the sulculus
what are the main brackets of function of the oral fluids
digestive and protective
what are the protective functions of the oral fluids
cleansing
mucosal protection
buffering
remineralisation
antimicrobial
how do you measure pH
logarithmic scale - every unit of pH change is a factor of 10
why do buffers within the ph have a constant of association known as the pKa
because the buffer can only take the hydrogen ions in a certain range in order to stop the drop in pH
what is remineralisation
this is when the tooth loses the mineral and is able to gain it back
how does the saliva make teeth stronger
can provide calcium phosphate to the tooth structure when it has been demineralised
what does fluoride come from mainly for our mouths
toothpaste
why does thrush often occur after a course of antibiotics has been taken
the microorganism that causes thrush is found in the fungi family and therefore is not killed by the antibiotics. the antibiotics also kill all the flora in the mouth, including the good ones, reducing protection.
what produces mucous in the respiratory tract
globular cells
what produces mucous in the mouth
the salivary glands
what can happen to the experience of eating when there is reduced salivary flow
things don’t taste as nice and can be harder to chew
what are the digestive functions of the oral fluids
taste
digestive enzymes
lubricating bolus
what is an example of a digestive enzyme found within the oral fluid
amylase
why is it important that the saliva lubricates bolus for chewing and swallowing
it needs to be soft enough to be swallowed
what is the link between saliva and oral diseases
saliva is important for defence roles and a reduced flow can cause a number of oral health problems due to absence of various protective enzymes
why can decreased secretion of saliva occur
there are many reasons for this, such as salivary gland diseases or diseases of other glands
what is xerostomia
dry mouth, and a prominent symptom for patients with salivary gland disease
on what surfaces of the tooth can the increased incidence of dental caries be viewed when there is reduced saliva flow
the buccal and labial surfaces.
why are the buccal and labial surfaces of the tooth usually safe from dental caries if saliva flow is normal
they are easily cleansed by the movement of mastication
what are salivary glands
exocrine glands that produce serous and or mucous secretions.
what is the name of the arrangement of salivary glands
tubulo acinar arrangement
what are the minor salivary glands
these are a more diffuse collection of glandular tissue lying in the lamina propria of the following areas of the oral cavity:
- buccal
- labial
- lingual
- palatal - both soft and hard palate
what are the major salivary glands
these are more distinct and identifiable and are the following
- parotid
- sublingual
- submandibular
they are paired salivary glands - two of each
describe the salivary gland structure
there are acini that clump together to form capsules, the secondary arrangement
intercalated tubules are found between the acini
there are also striated tubules
all of these collect together into the main collecting duct
this is the structure of a single lobe of a salivary gland
why is it important that there are striated tubules
there are certain changes in the saliva at this area
what are the myoepithelial cells found in salivary glands
these are cells that can be found in the glands that look or react as muscle cells
what do acini produce
saliva
where do the acini produce the saliva into
the lumen, which joins onto the intercalated tubules
what is the difference between the serous and mucous acini
mucuos acini require a machinery that will produce the mucous and be kept inside the acinus. the process of keeping proteins in the acinus gives the inner portion of the cell a frothy arrangement, and the nuclei are usually pushed away from this froth. there is a big difference in colour between the froth and the nuclei.
in comparison, the serous acini lack these proteins and therefore do not have froth pushing away the nuclei.
describe the acinus of mixed acini
they have a mucous arrangement and a serous arrangement
what are the salivary gland secretions of the major salivary glands
parotid is serous
submandibular is mixed
sublingual is mucous
what secretion is released by the parotid salivary gland
serous
which secretion is released by the submandibular salivary gland
mixed
which secretion is released by the sublingual salivary gland
mucous
which secretion is released by the buccal minor salivary gland
mucous
which secretion is released by the labial salivary gland
mucous
which secretion is released by the lingual salivary gland
serous and mucous - not a mixed secretion though