Week 6 (salivary glands)

Question 1

Saliva
What is it’s general function? What does it coat?
Where is it produced?
What occurs when a deficiency of saliva arises?

Answer 1

General function of saliva is to keep the oral cavity moist and it coats the teeth and mucosa
It’s produced by salivary glands
Individuals with a deficiency of salivary secretion experience difficulty
eating, speaking, and swallowing and become prone to mucosal
infections and rampant caries

Question 2

List the functions of saliva

Answer 2

Protection
Buffering
Tooth integrity
Antimicrobial activity
Tissue repair
Digestion
Taste

Question 3

Functions of Saliva
Protection :
Effect?
Active constituents?

Answer 3

Clearance, Water
Lubrication, Mucins glycoproteins
Thermal/chemical insulation, Mucins
Pellicle formation, Proteins, glycoproteins, mucins
Tannin binding, Basic proline-rich proteins, histatins

Question 4

Functions of Saliva
Buffering:
Effects?
Active Constituents?

Answer 4

pH maintenance Bicarbonate, phosphate, basic
proteins, urea, ammonia
Neutralization of acids

Question 5

Functions of Saliva
Tooth integrity:
Effects?
Active Constituents?

Answer 5

Enamel maturation, repair
Calcium, phosphate, fluoride,
statherin, acidic proline-rich proteins

Question 6

Functions of Saliva
Antimicrobial activity:
Effects?
Active Constituents?

Answer 6

Physical barrier Mucins
Immune defense Secretory immunoglobulin A
Nonimmune defense Peroxidase, lysozyme, lactoferrin,
histatin, mucins, agglutinins, secretory
leukocyte protease inhibitor,
defensins, and cathelicidin-LL 37

Question 7

Functions of Saliva
Tissue Repair:
Effects?
Active Constituents?

Answer 7

Wound healing, epithelial Growth factors, trefoil proteins,
regeneration

Question 8

Functions of Saliva
Digestion:
Effects?
Active Constituents?

Answer 8

Bolus formation Water, mucins
Starch, triglyceride digestion Amylase, lipase

Question 9

Functions of Saliva
Taste:
Effects?
Active Constituents?

Answer 9

Solution of molecules/Water and lipocalins
Maintenance of taste buds/Epidermal growth factor and carbonic anhydrase VI

Question 10

Three major salivary glands

Answer 10

Parotid
Submandibular
Sublingual

(They are outside the oral cavity, with extended duct systems through which the gland secretions reach the mouth)

Question 11

Salivary Glands Minor

Answer 11

-labial
-lingual
-palatal
-buccal
-glossopalatine

(located in the oral cavity)

Question 12

Salivary Gland structure
What is the functional unit?

Answer 12

functional unit of salivary gland is acinus (plural acini)
acini produce saliva+ excrete into small ducts + drain into slightly bigger ducts within the freshly active part of the gland termed the parenchyme.

Question 13

Parenchymal Elements?
Connective tissue elements?

Answer 13

1. Secretory cells- serous and mucous acini
2. Non-secretory cells
   a. Myoepithelial cells c. Duct system
   Connective tissue elements
3. cells, fibres, blood supply, nerves