Minor salivary glands in oral mucosa of two dogs: A pilot study

Presence of minor salivary glands in the oral mucosa and its potential use as an autograft for treating dry eye disease has been widely reported in humans. But there is a paucity of literature regarding the histological evidence for the presence of minor salivary glands in the oral mucosa of dogs. The present pilot study histologically identified and topographically described the minor salivary glands in the oral mucosa of two dogs, as a potential autograft for keratoconjunctivitis sicca. The samples were collected from different sites of the upper and lower lips and the commissures. Samples were processed for routine paraffin embedding; 5 μm sections were taken and were stained using Hematoxyline and Eosin staining. Histological examination revealed exocrine, compound, tubulo-acinar glands and the secretion was mixed type