Quick Facts
Location: Floor of the mouth.
Arterial supply: Sublingual artery.
Venous Drainage: Sublingual vein.
Innervation: Chorda tympani (CN VII); Lingual nerve (CN V3)
Lymphatic drainage: Submandibular lymph nodes.
Related parts of the anatomy
Structure
The sublingual glands are the smallest and deepest of the three major salivary glands. They are approximately almond in shape and sits within the floor of the mouth.
Anatomical Relations
The sublingual gland sits on mylohyoid muscle deep to the mucosa lining the floor of the mouth. It sits against the sublingual fossa of the mandible.
Function
The sublingual glands are capable of serous and mucous secretion; however, they mainly secret mucous fluid.
Arterial Supply
The sublingual glands are vascularized by the submental branches of the lingual and facial arteries.
Venous Drainage
The sublingual glands are drained by the submental branches of the lingual and facial veins.
Innervation
The ganglionic branches of the lingual nerve to the submandibular ganglion are parasympathetic fibers. They transmit the preganglionic parasympathetic fibers that originated in the chorda tympani to the submandibular ganglion. In this ganglion, these parasympathetic fibers synapse with postganglionic parasympathetic fibers that will innervate the sublingual gland.
Lymphatic Drainage
Lymphatic drainage of the sublingual gland is via the submandibular lymph nodes. These nodes drain via the deep cervical lymph nodes.
List of Clinical Correlates
- Xerostomia
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Sublingual Gland
The sublingual glands are small, rounded structures located at the rostral edge of the submaxillary glands and are sometimes partially embedded in them.
