[The tissue and cell defense mechanisms of the oral mucosa]

The modern concepts of tissue and cell defense mechanisms in oral mucosa are discussed. These mechanisms include (a) physical barriers (of epithelium and lamina propria), (b) non-specific antimicrobial humoral factors, (c) non-specific cellular defense mechanisms, (d) specific immune humoral and cell-mediated defense mechanisms, (c) saliva, containing both non-specific and specific antimicrobial factors. Special reference is given to antigen-presenting dendritic cells and various lymphocyte subpopulations both in epithelium and in lamina propria. The interaction of different cell and tissue defense mechanisms and their regional variations are briefly characterized.