Vascular network in papillae of dog oral mucosa using corrosive resin casts with scanning electron microscopy.

The purpose of this study was to undertake a three-dimensional analysis of the vascular network of the lamina propria in the gingiva, alveolar mucosa, buccal mucosa, palate, and lingual mucosa of the dog. Using the corrosive resin casting technique, casts of the vascular network were prepared and examined by scanning electron microscopy. In the oral mucosa, larger arteries in the submucosa divide into smaller branches that enter the lamina propria. These branches form one or more layers of vessels at the base of the papillae of the lamina propria, the so-called subpapillary vascular network. Here the vessels divide again and enter the papillae to form a subepithelial capillary network. The configuration of the capillary loops within each papilla of the lamina propria is determined by the shape of the papilla. The characteristic shape of the loops resembles a hairpin. The capillary loops in the lingual papillae are larger and more complex than capillary loops found elsewhere in the oral mucosa. The mucosa of the posterior portion of the hard palate, the soft palate, and the tongue contain many venous valves.