Oral Mucosal Wound Healing Research Articles

High magnification in situ viewing of wound healing in oral mucosa.

Microscope endoscopy is a technique which allows high resolution, non-invasive examination of soft tissues. This study employed microscope endoscopy to examine the process of healing following exposure of the oral mucosa to carbon dioxide laser radiation. On the wound boundaries, cellular debris and the laser-induced char layer were shed as epithelial migration occurred. Wounds healed by secondary intention, with complete epithelial closure by 72 hours. A marked vascular response was evident from 6 to 48 hours following wounding, a time period coincident with the known pattern of blood vessel activation and infiltration of the wound site by leukocytes. The use of microscope endoscopy as an adjunct to biopsy and other invasive diagnostic methods in the assessment and follow-up of soft tissue pathology may have value in clinical practice.

Physiologic levels of salivary epidermal growth factor stimulate migration of an oral epithelial cell line

An established line of human oral epithelial cells exhibits chemotaxis to epidermal growth factor (EGF). The directed migration of these cells is time dependent with an approximate 10-fold increase in the number of cells responding to the chemoattractant by 6 h. Cell migration occurs in a concentration dependent manner with maximal response at ≈ 1 ng/ml. This maximal chemotactic response occurs within the physiologic concentration range for EGF found in human saliva. These data suggest that EGF may be important for the maintenance of an intact oral epithelial (mucosal) barrier, and may play a vital role in oral mucosal wound healing.