The sublingual gland (''glandula sublingualis'') is a seromucous polystomatic

exocrine gland Exocrine glands are glands that secrete substances onto an epithelial surface by way of a duct. Examples of exocrine glands include sweat, salivary, mammary, ceruminous, lacrimal, sebaceous, prostate and mucous. Exocrine glands are one of ...

. Located underneath the oral diaphragm (''diaphragma oris''), the sublingual gland is the smallest and most diffuse of the three major salivary glands of the oral cavity, with the other two being the submandibular and parotid. The sublingual gland provides approximately 3-5% of the total salivary volume.

Structure

The submandibular glands are located anterior and superior to the submandibular gland and inferior and lateral to the

tongue The tongue is a Muscle, muscular organ (anatomy), organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for chewing and swallowing as part of the digestive system, digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper s ...

, as well as inferior to the

mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It ...

of the floor of the mouth. They are bound laterally by the bone of the mandible and inferolaterally by the

mylohyoid muscle The mylohyoid muscle or diaphragma oris is a paired muscle of the neck. It runs from the Human mandible, mandible to the hyoid bone, forming the floor of the oral cavity of the human mouth, mouth. It is named after its two attachments near the mo ...

. The glands can be palpated posteriorly to each mandibular canine. Placing one index finger within the mouth and the fingertips of the opposite hand outside it, the compressed gland is manually palpated between the inner and outer fingers.Illustrated Anatomy of the Head and Neck, Fehrenbach and Herring, Elsevier, 2012, p. 156 The sublingual gland is constituted by 1 major duct and approximately 20 small excretory ducts, with the latter often being referred to as ''ducts of Rivinus''.Ten Cate's Oral Histology, Nanci, Elsevier, 2013, page 255 The largest of all, the sublingual duct (of Bartholin) joins the submandibular duct to drain through the sublingual caruncle. The sublingual caruncle is a small papilla near the midline of the floor of the mouth on each side of the lingual frenum. Most of the remaining small sublingual ducts (of Rivinus) open separate into the mouth on an elevated crest of mucous membrane, the plica sublingualis (aka ''sublingual fold''), formed by the gland and located on either side of the frenulum linguae. 270px, Drawing of an open mouth showing the frenulum linguae and surrounding structures

Microanatomy

The sublingual gland consists mostly of mucous acini having serous demilunes and is therefore categorized as a mixed mucous gland with mostly a mucous product. Striated and intercalated ducts are also present.

Blood supply

The gland receives its blood supply from the sublingual and submental arteries. Lymph from the sublingual salivary gland drains into the submandibular lymph nodes.

Nerve supply

The

chorda tympani Chorda tympani is a branch of the facial nerve that carries gustatory (taste) sensory innervation from the front of the tongue and parasympathetic ( secretomotor) innervation to the submandibular and sublingual salivary glands. Chorda tymp ...

nerve (from the

facial nerve The facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve, cranial nerve VII, or simply CN VII, is a cranial nerve that emerges from the pons of the brainstem, controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of ta ...

via the submandibular ganglion) is secretomotor and provides parasympathetic supply to the sublingual glands. The path of the nerve is as follows: junction between

pons The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other mammals, lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of ...

and medulla, through internal acoustic meatus and facial canal to

, through middle ear cavity, out petrotympanic fissure to join the lingual nerve, travels with lingual nerve to synapse at the submandibular ganglion, then

postganglionic In the autonomic nervous system, nerve fibers from the ganglion to the wikt:effector, effector organ are called postganglionic nerve fibers. Neurotransmitters The neurotransmitters of postganglionic fibers differ: * In the parasympathetic div ...

fibers travels to the sublingual gland.

Development

The sublingual salivary glands appear in the eighth week of prenatal development, two weeks later than the other two major salivary glands. They develop from

epithelial Epithelium or epithelial tissue is a thin, continuous, protective layer of cells with little extracellular matrix. An example is the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epithelial ( mesothelial) tissues line the outer surfaces of man ...

buds in the sulcus surrounding the sublingual folds on the floor of the mouth, lateral to the developing submandibular gland. These buds branch and form into cords that canalize to form the sublingual ducts associated with the gland. The rounded terminal ends of the cords form acini. Fehrenbach, MJ and Popowics, T. (2026). ''Illustrated Dental Embryology, Histology, and Anatomy'', 6th edition, Elsevier, pages 154-55.

Clinical significance

Ranulas are the most common pathologic lesion associated with the sublingual glands.

Additional images

Gray1024.png , Imaging showing the sublingual glands and surrounding structures. Image:Gray177.png, Mandible. Inner surface. Side view. File:Slide1vv.JPG, Sublingual gland File:Slide4ww.JPG, Sublingual gland File:Slide14ww.JPG, Sublingual gland

References

External links

* - "Oral Cavity: Glands" * () *
Salivary gland infections
from Medline Plus
Salivary gland cancer
from American Cancer Society {{Authority control Glands of mouth Otorhinolaryngology