Abstract

Wound healing in mucosal tissues differs in many aspects from cutaneous wound healing, a unique aspect being the lack of scar formation. Oral mucosa wound healing comprises a series of sequential responses that allow the closure of ruptures in this tissue. This process is of critical importance to prevent the invasion of microorganisms or other agents into tissues avoiding the establishment of chronic inflammation. Since the oral mucosa is continually exposed to traumatic and infectious challenges, this tissue has developed evolutionary strategies to circumvent this adverse environment. Therefore, the oral mucosa has several advantages in terms of the efficiency of the wound healing response. Wound healing may also play an important role during the cell and tissue reactions that occur during the development of chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer. Therefore, knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate wound healing is essential for the comprehension of pathological events in this tissue.