Histological Features Of Taste Buds And Oral Mucosa

Question 1. Tastebuds.
Answer:

Size: 80 cm high, 40 cm thick.

Structure:

Their outer surface is covered by a few flat epithelial cells surrounding taste pores.
It is composed of 30 – 80 spindle-shaped cells.
The outer supporting cells are arranged like the staves of a barrel.
They are slender, dark-staining cells that carry finger-like processes at their superficial end.
A rich nerve plexus is found below the taste buds.

Site:

The inner wall of the trough surrounding the vallate papillae, In folds of the foliate papillae On the posterior surface of the epiglottis.
At the tip of fungiform papillae.
Lateral borders of the tongue.

Question 2. Vermillion border.
Answer:

The transitional zone between the skin of the lip and the mucous membrane of the lip is called a vermillion zone.
The line that separates the skin from the vermillion zone is called the vermillion border.
It is characterized by a thicker mildly keratinized epithelium and numerous long papillae of the lamina propria.
Large capillary loops are present close to the surface.
It is exposed to the atmosphere but there are no glands to keep it moist thus lips require frequent moistening.

Question 3. Mucogingival groove.
Answer:

It is the junction between the attached gingiva and alveolar mucosa.
Clinically identified by the color change from the bright pink of the alveolar mucosa to the pale pink of the gingiva.

Histology:

The epithelium of the attached gingival is keratinized or para-keratinized.
Lamina propria of it contains numerous collagen bundles.
The structure of mucosa changes at the mucogingival groove where alveolar mucosa has thicker, nonkeratinized epithelium and lamina propria with numerous elastic fibers.

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