The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium (and lamina propria) of the mouth. It can be divided into three categories.
- Masticatory mucosa, para-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium, found on the dorsum of the tongue, hard palate and attached gingiva.
- Lining mucosa, non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium, found almost everywhere else in the oral cavity.
- Buccal mucosa refers to the inside lining of the cheeks and is part of the lining mucosa.
- Specialized mucosa, specifically in the regions of the taste buds on the dorsum of the tongue.
Famous quotes containing the word oral:
“We have seen over and over that white male historians in general have tended to dismiss any history they didn’t themselves write, on the grounds that it is unserious, unscholarly, a fad, too “political,” “merely” oral and thus unreliable.”
—Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)