Juxtaoral organ: an anatomical finding to be considered.

The juxtaoral organ (JOO) is a vestigial anatomical structure which is not usuallydescribed in lectures and classic texts of general histology and oral histology, despiteit being included in the "Terminologia Histologica: International terms for humancytology and histology". Although there is evidence about its histological structure,there are no macroscopic anatomical reports about it. We report the finding ofa structure of glandular macroscopic appearance in a horizontal section of a plastinatedhuman head belonging to the Morphology Laboratory of the Department ofBiomedical Basic Sciences at the University of Talca. Due to its location, dimensionsand anatomical relations, we determined it to be the JOO. Using a digital calliper, wemeasured the anteroposterior and transverse dimensions of the JOO and observedits anatomical relationships with neighbouring structures of clinical relevance. Weconclude that the JOO is relevant to surgical practice due to its anatomical relationswith relevant structures such as inferior third molar and lingual nerve. Its clinicalapplication lies in the differential diagnosis with invasive processes of malignantneoplasia originating in the oral cavity.