Sublingual salivary gland

This is smallest of the three pairs of large salivary glands. It lies in the floor of the mouth between the mucus membrane and the mylohyoid muscle. It is almond shaped and rests in the sublingual fossa of the mandible. It is separated from the base of the tongue by the submandibular duct. It is mostly mucus in nature and weighs about 3–4 g. The gland pours its secretion by a series of ducts, about 15 in number, into the oral cavity on the sublingual fold, but a few of them open into the submandibular duct.

The gland actually possesses about 20 ducts. Most of these ducts (ducts of Rivinus) open separately on the sublingual fold, while some ducts from anterior part of the gland unite to form the sublingual duct (duct of Bartholin), which opens into the submandibular duct.

Nerve Supply

The gland is supplied by parasympathetic, sympathetic, and sensory fibres:

• Parasympathetic (secretomotor) supply:

1. The preganglionic parasympathetic fibres arise from superior salivatory nucleus in the pons and pass successively through facial, chorda tympani, and lingual nerves; and terminate in the submandibular ganglion, which serves as a relay station.
2. The postganglionic fibres arise from this ganglion and directly supply the submandibular gland.

• Sympathetic supply: The preganglionic fibres arise from T1 spinal segment and enter the cervical sympathetic trunk to relay in its superior cervical sympathetic ganglion. The postganglionic fibres arise from superior cervical sympathetic ganglion, form plexus around facial artery, and thus reach gland through this artery.
• Sensory supply: The gland gets its sensory supply by the lingual nerve.

Blood supply

The gland is supplied by the sublingual and submental arteries.

Lymphatic drainage

The lymphatics from the sublingual gland drain into submental and submandibular lymph nodes.

Additional images

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  Imaging showing the sublingual glands and surrounding structures.

• Mandible. Inner surface. Side view.

• Sublingual gland

• Sublingual gland

• Sublingual gland

Sublingual salivary gland Resources
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