Sublingual gland

Sublingual gland
Dissection, showing salivary glands of right side. (Sublingual gland visible near bottom right.)
Salivary glands: #1 is Parotid gland, #2 is Submandibular gland, #3 is Sublingual gland
Latin	glandula sublingualis
Gray's	subject #242 1136
Artery	Sublingual artery (branch of lingual artery of external carotid artery)
Nerve	submandibular ganglion
MeSH	Sublingual+Gland

The sublingual glands are salivary glands in the mouth.

They lie anterior to the submandibular gland under the tongue, beneath the mucous membrane of the floor of the mouth.

They are drained by 8-20 excretory ducts called the ducts of Rivinus.

The largest duct, the sublingual duct (of Bartholin) joins the submandibular duct to drain through the sublingual caruncle.

The sublingual gland consists mostly of Mucous acini capped with serous demilunes and is therefore categorized as a mixed gland.

Most of the remaining small sublingual ducts open separately into the mouth on an elevated crest of mucous membrane, the sublingual fold (plica), caused by the gland and on either side of the frenulum linguae.

The chorda tympani nerve (from the facial nerve via the lingual nerve) is secretomotor to the sublingual glands.

Additional images

Digestive system

Mandible. Inner surface. Side view.

External links

• Diagram at scopevic.org.au
• SUNY Labs 34:st-0701 - "Oral Cavity: Glands"
• Sublingual+gland at eMedicine Dictionary
• cranialnerves at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (VII)
• Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, at Elsevier 25420.000-1
• Histology at usc.edu

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