Human Stratified Squamous Epithelium Slide

Use the isolated cheek cells on this prepared slide to illustrate the morphology of typical squamous cells. The lining of the human mouth is a standard example of stratified squamous epithelium. The flat cells shown on the slide form several layers that make up this type of epithelial tissue.
Epithelial tissue covers or lines body surfaces as well as serving to absorb, filtrate, protect, and secrete various substances. The tissue is classified by the number of cell layers it has (simple=1 cell layer, stratified=more than 1 cell layer) and the shape of the cells (squamous=flat, cuboidal=cube-shaped, columnar=column-shaped).