ORAL MUCOUS MEMBRANE (Oral Mucosa)

Interdental bone between teeth which are adjacent

Interradicular bone between the roots

Oral Mucosa has 2 layers and the outer layer is the one that is ectodermal
in origin.
1. Epithelia - stratified squamous type
- underneath would be connective tissue or all epithelia are
supported by connective tissue
2. Lamina Propria connective tissue supporting the epithelia
Basal Lamina attaches the 2 layers
Submucosa attaches oral mucosa to the periosteum of the
underlying bone (Mucoperiosteum)
Oral Mucosa = Epithelia + Lamina Propria
According to function:
1. EPITHELIUM
Either: Keratinized or Nonkeratinized
Patterns of Maturation time it takes for the epithelial cells to
migrate from the innermost layer going out (outermost layer)
- aka Turnover time
Keratinocytes epithelial cells that have protein cytokeratin in
their cytoplasm
Cytokeratin may be in the form of filaments or fibrils
4 layers of epithelium:
1. Stratum basale (Basal layer)
Innermost layer from lamina propria
Keratinocytes here are capable of mitosis
- the cell will remain in the stratum basale to be a source
of future keratinocytes
- other one will be the one to mature or migrate from the
inner layer going out
Might mix to the next layer
2. Stratum spinosum (Prickle cell layer)
Increase in size; it will become bigger and more oval in
shape
Cytokeratin will be arranged in the form of fibrils
(KERATINIZED) or filaments (NONKERATINIZED)
Fibrils > Filaments

3. (A) Stratum Granulosum KERATINIZED EPITHELIUM

Because keratohyaline granules will appear
- Keratohyaline involved in aggregation of cytokeratin
into bigger and bigger fibrils
(B) Stratum intermedium NON KERATINED EPITHELIUM

o
o
o

4. Stratum corneum KERATINIZED

No organelles, just the cytokeratin fibrils which are
densely arranged
Resistant to compressive forces
As the keratinocyte migrates, or as it matures, it becomes
bigger. Fibrils/filaments appear.
Organelles disappear until in:
Keratinized Epithelium: the cytoplasm of the cell is entirely
occupied by cytokeratin fibrils
Parakeratinized Epithelium: the nucleus appears, there are stil a
lot of cytokeratin fibril
Nonkeratinized Epithelium some organelles remain (nucleus,
with loosely arranged cytokeratin filaments)
5. Stratum superficiale NONKERATINIZED
As cell migrates from basale to superficiale, it becomes
bigger. There are more and more filaments. They are
scattered in the cytoplasm
There will be loss of organelles until the supeficiale will
only have nucleus, some organelles and the cytokeratin
filaments which are loosely arranged in the cytoplasm
- that is why nonkeratinized epothelium remains flexible,
stretchable and soft