Oral Cavity & Teeth

 Digestive System
o Components:
 Alimentary canal: oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small & large intestines, anal canal
 Associated organs: tongue, teeth, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, gallbladder
o Functions:
 Mechanical fragmentation & propulsion
 Chemical digestion of food
 Nutrient absorption
 Protective barrier (stratified epi or tight junctions)
 Immunological protection (lymphatics & secretory IgA)
 Lubrication (mucus)
 Oral Cavity
o Components: mouth & associated structures (tongue, teeth, salivary glands, tonsils)
o Divisions:
 Vestibule: space between lips, cheeks, teeth (anterior to teeth)
 Oral cavity proper: space behind teeth before entrance to oropharynx, between hard/soft palate &
mouth floor
o Oral Mucosa: lines the oral cavity
 Moist strat. sq. epi, generally thicker than skin
 Mostly non-keratinized
 Includes keratinocytes, Langerhans cells, Merkel cells, melanocytes (similar to skin)
 Stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum superficiale (superficial flat but nucleated)
 LP: underlying layer of LCT w/ BVs & nerves underlying epi
 Types of oral mucosa:
 Masticatory mucosa
o Found on gingival (gums) & hard palate
o Keratinized & parakeratinized strat. sq. epi
 Parakeratinized: superficial cells that appear to be forming keratin but
do not lose their nucleipyknotic (highly condensed)
 Lining mucosa
o Found on lips, cheeks, mouth floor, inferior tongue surface, soft palate
o Generaly nonkeratinized epi, but some areas parakeratinized
 Specialized mucosa
o Found on dorsal tongue surface only
o Keratinized epi w/ papillae & taste buds
 Submucosa
 Coarser DICT
 Provides attachment to muscle (cheeks, lips) or bone (palate, dental arches)
 Contains minor salivary glands
o Name for location: labial (lip), buccal (cheek), lingual (tongue), palatine (palate)
o Typically compound tubuloalveolar exocrine glands
o Mucous, serous, or mixed
 Lip: Alimentary canal entry point
o Mucocutaneous jxn: Thin keratinized facial skin  thick NK/parakeratinized epi of oral mucosa
o Zones:
 Outer cutaneous surface – thin skin (SSK epi) w/ hairs & sweat glands
 Vermilion (red) border – transition zone between outer skin & inner oral mucosa
 Keratinized epi w/ finger-like CT that bring capillaries to surface
 Inner oral mucosal surface – moist strat sq NK/parakeratinized epi + LP (generally thick)
 Underlying submucosa bound to underlying skeletal muscle (orbicularis oris muscle)
 Minor salivary glands in submucosa: labial salivary glands
 Tongue = Muscular organ projecting/suspending in oral cavity
o Skeletal muscle organization
 Arranged in bundles that run in 3 planes (long. [L-R], vert. [top-bottom], horiz. [cross-sec])
 Each bundle at right angles to other two (arranged orthogonally)
 Allows for flexibility & precise movements essential  speech