Figure 1

Microphotographs of the capillary network of different areas of the oral mucosa. a) Scanning electron micrograph of the back of the tongue, showing very dense loops of the vessels beneath the epithelium. In the middle of the picture, the vessels of a fungiform papilla can be observed (corrosion specimen of a maccaca fascicularis monkey blood vessel cast). b) Intravital microscopy of the vessels of human fungiform papillae in the back of the tongue, showing similar capillary loops. c) Scanning electron micrograph of the marginal gingival surface, showing wide loops of the vessels underneath the epithelium (corrosion specimen of a maccaca fascicularis monkey blood vessel cast). The vessel loops are relatively wide. d) Intravital microscopy of human gingival blood, vessels showing similar wide loops of the capillaries. e) Scanning electron micrograph of the capillaries in the smooth oral mucosa of the vestibulum oris, showing a capillary network beneath the epithelium oriented relatively parallel to the epithelial lining (corrosion specimen of a maccaca fascicularis monkey blood vessel cast). f) Intravital microscopy of human blood vessels of the oral mucosa in the smooth oral mucosa of the vestibulum oris showing capillaries running parallel to the epithelial surface. g) Scanning electron micrograph of the calpillaries of the bottom of the oral floor, showing a dense network of blood vessels parallel to the epithelial surface. h) Intravital microscopy of the blood vessels of the human oral floor showing a similar network as in the scanning picture.