A study on the tongue coating by electron microscope. I. the thin whitish coating and pinkish tongue tissue proper of healthy subjects
Chen, Z.L.; Dai, H.L.; Ling, Y.P.; Ma, J.X.
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 3(4): 305-313
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0255-2922 PMID: 6562305 Document Number: 215981
Observations made by EM on 6 healthy males whose tongue tissue proper was pinkish and tongue coating whitish are discussed. Both the mucosal membrane and the ultrastructure of the epithelial cell of the tongue were observed and studied by using a scanning electron microscope and a transmissional electron microscope. It appears that continuous growth and differentiation of the epithelial cells in the tongue mucosal membrane leads to the formation of the tongue coating, which is also affected by changes in the desmosome and membrane-coating granules as well as by the physical and chemical factors in the oral cavity.