Anatomy
A normal anatomical structure, considered of neuroepithelial origin, first described in 1885 by JH Chievitz, a Danish anatomist.
Located bilateral, within the soft tissue overlying the angle of the mandible in the buccotemporal space.
A small fusiform structure, interposed between the fascia buccotemporalis and pterygoid muscles.
Innervated by branches of the buccal nerve.
It is believed to represent an anlage of the parotid gland.
Function
Mechanosensor in the lateral wall of the oral cavity involved in deglutition, sucking, mastication, and speech
Abundant enzyme activity similar to that found in ductal cells of salivary glands (alkaline phosphatase and carbonic anhydrase activity)
Neurosecretory function (presence of intracellular neurosecretory granules)
Might be influenced by buccal nerve and pituitary gland
Size and Weight
0.7–1.7 cm in length and 0.1–0.2 cm in width.
Macroscopy
Grossly not visible. By dissecting...
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References and Further Reading
Chievitz, J. H. (1885). Beitrage zur Entwicklungsgeschichte der Speicheldrusen. Virchows Archiv für Pathologische Anatomie und Physiologie und für Klinische Medizin, 9, 401–436.
Danforth, R. A., & Baughman, R. A. (1979). Chievitz’s organ: A potential pitfall in oral cancer diagnosis. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, and Oral Pathology, 48, 231–236.
Ide, F., Mishima, K., & Saito, I. (2003). Juxtaoral organ of Chievitz presenting clinically as a tumor. Journal of Clinical Pathology, 56, 789–790.
Pantanowisz, L. (2004). Immunophenotype of the juxtaoral organ. International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 33, 113.
Pantanowitz, L., & Balogh, K. (2003). Significance of the juxtaoral organ (of Chievitz). Head & Neck, 25, 400–405.
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van der Wal, J.E. (2017). Chievitz’s Organ. In: van Krieken, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pathology. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_669-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_669-1
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28845-1
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