Synonyms
Buccotemporal organ; Juxtaoral organ of Chievitz
Anatomy
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, Weight
0.7–1.7 cm in length and 0.1–0.2 cm in width.
Macroscopy
Grossly not visible. By dissecting microscope, it appears to be a flat, white solid strand of tissue resembling a nerve.
Microscopy
Epithelial islands embedded in...
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References and Further Reading
Chievitz, J. H. (1885). Beitrage zur Entwicklungsgeschichte der Speicheldrusen. Virchows Archiv fur Pathologische Anatomie und Physiologie und fur 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.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this entry
Cite this entry
van der Wal, J.E. (2016). Chievitz’s Organ. In: Slootweg, P.J. (eds) Dental and Oral Pathology. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28085-1_669
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28085-1_669
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28084-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28085-1
eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine