Oral epithelium maturation

The major function of the oral epithelium is to provide a protective surface layer between the oral environment and the deeper tissues. The oral epithelium has a squamous epithelium of tightly packed cells that form distinct layers by a process of maturation from the deeper layers to the surface. The pattern of maturation differs in different regions of the oral mucosa... 

The process of maturation from basal cell through to desquamation (shedding) has been estimated at 13 days for the buccal epithelium and this process is probably representative of the oral mucosa as a whole. Thus the rate of cell turnover in the oral cavity is considerably faster than that of skin, which takes approximately 30 days (see Section 8.2.1). 

Stratified squamous epithelial tissue is a frequently found epithelium in the human body (nasopharyngeal and oral cavities, esophagus, urethra, vagina, cervix, and others). It is a multilayered structure consisting of a layer of actively dividing basal cells anchored to the basement membrane, beneath which one finds connective tissue (stroma). The daughter cells created by the division of the basal cells form the parabasal layer and mature and migrate to the surface layer. 

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