Etymology of Cells in Oral Pathology: A Brief Review

Abstract

Etymology is the study of origin and history of words. It links medical science with other disciplines, such as linguistics, history, and anthropology, enriching the understanding of health and disease in a broader context. It provides a foundation for medical vocabulary, making it easier for the students to understand and correlate the terms with different physiological and pathological conditions. An extensive search of literature published in online and offline sources was done and cells in oral pathology were categorized as epithelial or mesenchymal depending upon their origin. A thorough compilation of data was done with emphasis on their etymology, morphology, histochemistry/ immunohistochemistry and physiological/ pathological conditions associated with them along with the handmade diagram in a tabular format.