Morphology and structure of filiform papillae of neonates: a light and scanning electron microscopic study

The present study was carried out to describe the morphology and structure of filiform papillae of the neonate. Ten tissue specimens taken from the anterior portion of the tongue of ten stillborn neonates were fixed and processed for both light and scanning electron microscopy. Filiform papillae appeared as small finger-like projections with rounded tips and appeared to develop as two or three papillae originating from one base; subsequent splitting of the papillae from each other then took place. The epithelium covering the papillae was parakeratinized while that covering the interpapillary regions was nonkeratinized