Salivary Glands

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The salivary glands consist of: Parotid, Sublingual and Submandibular glands.

1. Parotid gland 2. Submandibular gland 3. Sublingual gland

Parotid Gland[edit | edit source]

  • It is the largest of all three glands
  • It is located on the anterior, lower half of the ear
  • It has an excretory duct.
  • Parasympathetic innervation is by glossopharyngeal nerve

Sublingual and Submandibular Gland[edit | edit source]

  • They are mixed seromucous glands
  • They have an excretory duct
  • Parasympathetic innervation is by chorda tympani (from the superior salivatory nucleus) and a branch of the facial nerve (which synapses with the submandibular ganglion, follows the lingual nerve and leaves the lingual nerve when it is near to the glands[1]

Sublingual Gland

  • It is the smallest salivary gland
  • It is almond-shaped
  • It is lateral to the submandibular duct
  • It is associated with the lingual nerve on the floor of the oral cavity
  • The gland lies against the medial surface of the mandible, where it forms the sublingual fossa, lying superior to the anterior 1/3 of the mylohyoid gland

Submandibular gland

  • It is on the medial side of the mandible in the submandibular fossa, which is inferior to the mylohyoid line
  • The larger arm of the hook is directed forward in the horizontal plane; below the mylohyoid muscle
  • The smaller arm loops around the posterior margin of the mylohyoid muscle

Links[edit | edit source]

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

SNELL, Richard S. Clinical Anatomy by Regions. 8th Edition edition. 2004. ISBN 978-0-7817-6404-9.


References[edit | edit source]

  1. Wikipedia. Submandibular gland [online]. The last revision 2011-11-11, [cit. 2012-02-29]. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submandibular_gland#Innervation>.