Full Description
Human Oral Mucosa: Development, Structure and Function is a new text that reflects the considerable increase in knowledge of oral mucosa that has occurred in recent years. Our understanding of the structure of oral mucosa is now established at a molecular rather than a tissue or cellular level. This in turn has revealed a level of function that was previously not suspected, including a sophisticated barrier to the penetration of exogenous materials, and the synthesis of specific antimicrobial compounds, representing components of the innate immune system. There is also a growing realization of commonality in structure and function between regions of oral mucosa and the mucosae of the esophagus and vagina. The aim of the present volume is to provide a more sophisticated text on human oral mucosa than presently exists in textbooks and to bring together information that is otherwise to be found in separate, specialist volumes into a comprehensive text. It relates structure at the molecular, cellular and tissue level to function and to clinical behavior. The volume is directed to advanced students and researchers in oral biology, as well as those in allied areas of investigation, such as dermatology, gynecology, internal medicine and pathology.
Contents
Preface vii 1 The functions of oral mucosa 3
1.1 Oral mucosa: What is it and what does it do? 3
1.2 Functions of the oral mucosa 5
References 7
2 The organization of oral mucosa 9
2.1 Clinical features 10
2.2 Component tissues and glands 14
References 16
3 Oral epithelium 19
3.1 Histological structure of oral epithelium 20
3.2 Epithelial proliferation and turnover 24
3.3 Molecular and cellular organization of oral epithelium 29
3.4 Non-keratinocytes in the oral epithelium 41
References 50
4 The interface between epithelium and connective tissue 53
4.1 Organization of the normal interface 55
4.2 Immune-mediated subepithelial blistering diseases (IMSEBDS) 57
References 58
5 Connective tissue 59
5.1 Lamina propria 59
5.2 Blood supply 68
5.3 Nerve supply 70
References 74
6 Regional differences in the oral mucosa 77
6.1 Structural variations in different regions 77
6.2 Junctions in the oral mucosa 85
References 97
7 Development and aging of the oral mucosa 99
7.1 Developmental stages of oral mucosa 100
7.2 The control of mucosal development: epithelial-mesenchymal interaction 104
7.3 Aging 106
References 109
8 Barrier functions of oral mucosa 113
8.1 The permeability barrier 114
8.2 Immunologic barrier function of oral mucosa 122
References 135
9 Homologies in structure and function among mucosae: oral, esophageal, and vaginal mucosa 145
9.1 Esophagus 145
9.2 Vagina 147
9.3 Organization of the tissues of esophagus and vagina 147
9.4 Non-keratinocytes in esophageal and vaginal mucosa 153
9.5 Infl ammatory cells 154
References 154
Index 159
