Oral Mucosa in Health and Disease: A Concise Handbook

Description

This book is designed to re-establish the position of the oral cavity and its mucosa at the forefront of defence and maintenance of homeostatic mechanisms that protect against disease not just locally but also systemically. The oral mucosa is a unique collection of tissues that constitutes a highly active environment with its own unique microflora and homeostatic interaction with the innate and adaptive immune responses. As an immune tissue the oral mucosa was somewhat neglected in the past owing to the tendency to assume similarity to the gut mucosa. More recently it has become apparent that the oral mucosa is a complex environment and, like the esophageal mucosa, has more in common with vaginal tissue than with the gut. Furthermore, the ability of the oral mucosa to act as an immune inductive site has made it an attractive area of research in terms of desensitization for allergic reactions and possibly autoimmune responses. In this book, recognized experts in the field provide up-to-date coverage of all aspects of the structure and function of the oral mucosa, reflecting important recent advances in knowledge, including at the molecular level. Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Structure and Functions of the Oral Mucosa (Alan T. Cruchley, Lesley Ann Bergmeier)....Pages 1-18 Cell-Cell Interactions in the Oral Mucosa: Tight Junctions and Gap Junctions (Hong Wan, Hanan Gadmor, Louise Brown)....Pages 19-30 Anchoring Junctions in the Oral Mucosa: Adherens Junctions and Desmosomes (Hong Wan, Hanan Gadmor, Louise Brown)....Pages 31-51 Immunology of the Oral Mucosa (Lesley Ann Bergmeier)....Pages 53-67 Mucosal Homeostasis of the Oral Mucosa (Jean-Pierre Allam, Natalija Novak)....Pages 69-76 Wound Healing in the Oral Mucosa (Patricio C. Smith, Constanza Martínez)....Pages 77-90 Saliva and Gingival Crevicular Fluid: Contributions to Mucosal Defense (Hayder F. Saloom, Guy H. Carpenter)....Pages 91-103 Oral Cancer: Recent Developments and Future Challenges (E. Kenneth Parkinson)....Pages 105-118 Epigenetics in the Oral Cavity (Lena Larsson)....Pages 119-125 Infections of the Oral Mucosa and Immune Responses (Lesley Ann Bergmeier)....Pages 127-140 Non-infectious Diseases of the Oral Mucosa: The Importance of Immune Functions (Lesley Ann Bergmeier, Farida Fortune)....Pages 141-159 Clinical Management of Oral Mucosal Disease: A Literature Review (Lesley Ann Bergmeier, Farida Fortune)....Pages 161-171 Future Directions of Research in the Oral Mucosa (Lesley Ann Bergmeier, E. Kenneth Parkinson)....Pages 173-184