[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Histology](https://durgical.com/en/histology/) › [Digestive system](https://durgical.com/en/histology/#a-digestive) › Oral cavity, tongue and teeth

[Histology](https://durgical.com/en/histology/) · [Digestive system](https://durgical.com/en/histology/#a-digestive)

# Oral cavity, tongue and teeth

- Organ

The mouth is lined by a tough layered skin-like tissue; the tongue is muscle covered with papillae, and teeth are built of enamel, dentin and pulp.

Updated 2026-11-01

**See it in 3D:** [Tongue](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tongue/)

## Key points

- Oral epithelium = stratified squamous; keratinized only where chewing rubs.
- Filiform papillae are the most numerous and have no taste buds.
- Circumvallate papillae plus von Ebner glands = the posterior row of taste.
- Enamel cannot regenerate (ameloblasts are lost); dentin grows slowly lifelong.

## What it is

The oral mucosa is stratified squamous epithelium, keratinized where chewing rubs (gums, hard palate, back of the tongue) and non-keratinized elsewhere. The tongue is a block of skeletal muscle running in three directions, with papillae on its upper surface, some carrying taste buds. Teeth have a mineral crown of enamel over dentin around a living pulp. Caries, oral candidiasis and leukoplakia are read against this normal histology.

## Key facts

- Enamel is made by ameloblasts, which disappear when the tooth erupts, so enamel cannot regrow.
- Dentin is made by odontoblasts lining the pulp, which keep producing it throughout life.
- Enamel is the hardest substance in the body.

## Structure

- Lining mucosa (cheeks, lips, floor of the mouth, underside of the tongue): non-keratinized stratified squamous.
- Masticatory mucosa (gingiva, hard palate): keratinized or parakeratinized stratified squamous.
- Tongue: skeletal muscle fibres in three planes, with fat and minor salivary glands between them.
- Tooth: enamel over the crown, dentin forming the bulk, pulp with vessels and nerves, cementum covering the root, and the periodontal ligament anchoring it in the alveolar bone.

## Lingual papillae

| Papilla | Where | Look | Taste buds |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Filiform | All over the front two thirds | Thin, pointed, keratinized; the most numerous | No |
| Fungiform | Scattered, more at the tip and edges | Mushroom-shaped, red dots | Yes, on the top surface |
| Circumvallate | One V-shaped row in front of the sulcus terminalis | Large, sunk in a trench; serous (von Ebner) glands drain into the trench | Yes, in the trench walls |
| Foliate | Back of the lateral edges | Parallel folds; small in adults | Yes |

## Clinical notes

- Dental caries: acids from bacterial plaque (viridans-group streptococci such as Streptococcus mutans) dissolve enamel, then dentin.
- Oral candidiasis: white plaques that scrape off, common in infants, people using inhaled steroids and immunosuppressed patients.
- Leukoplakia: a white patch that does not scrape off; biopsy looks for dysplasia because it can precede squamous cell carcinoma.

## Memory aid

On the tongue, the many filiform papillae are all touch and no taste.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Which lingual papillae are the most numerous and lack taste buds?

Filiform papillae; they are keratinized and make the surface rough for handling food.

## Why can enamel not repair itself after caries?

The ameloblasts that made it are lost when the tooth erupts, so there are no cells left to lay down new enamel.

## What kind of epithelium covers the hard palate?

Keratinized stratified squamous epithelium, part of the masticatory mucosa that resists friction.

[Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/histology/oral-cavity-tongue-and-teeth/)

## See it in 3D

The structures of Durgical's 3D anatomy where it is found.

- [Tongue](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/tongue/)

## Related

- [Salivary glands: serous and mucous acini](https://durgical.com/en/histology/salivary-glands-serous-and-mucous-acini/)
- [Esophagus and the Barrett change](https://durgical.com/en/histology/esophagus-and-the-barrett-change/)
- [Simple, stratified, pseudostratified and transitional epithelium](https://durgical.com/en/histology/simple-stratified-pseudostratified-and-transitional-epithelium/)

## Related conditions

- [Dental caries](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/dental-caries/)

## Microorganisms

- [Viridans streptococci](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/viridans-streptococci/)
- [Candida albicans](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/candida-albicans/)

[← All of histology](https://durgical.com/en/histology/)

Educational content on normal microscopic structure and its clinical relevance; no substitute for studying slides or for a health professional's advice.

Sources: [23.3 The Mouth, Pharynx, and Esophagus - Anatomy and Physiology 2e | OpenStax](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/23-3-the-mouth-pharynx-and-esophagus) (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022); [23.1 Overview of the Digestive System - Anatomy and Physiology 2e | OpenStax](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/23-1-overview-of-the-digestive-system) (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/histology/oral-cavity-tongue-and-teeth/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/histology/oral-cavity-tongue-and-teeth/