(JE) (in dentistry) the stratified squamous *epithelium that is directly attached to the surface of a tooth; it has a protective function against periodontal diseases.
Epithelium is the cellular layer which forms the epidermis on the skin, covers the inner surface of the bowels, and forms the lining of ducts and hollow organs, like the bladder. It consists of one or more layers of cells which adhere to one another, and is one of the simplest tissues of the body. It is of several forms: for example, the epidermis is formed of scaly epithelium, the cells being in several layers and more or less ?attened. (See SKIN.) The bowels are lined by a single layer of columnar epithelium, the cells being long and narrow in shape. The air passages are lined by ciliated epithelium: that is to say, each cell is provided with ?agellae (lashes) which drive the ?uid upon the surface of the passages gradually upwards.... epithelium
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