Sublingual Gland

Overview

• Smallest of paired glands
• Contributed 3-5% of salivary volume

Boarders

• Lie on the floor of the oral cavity.
• Underneath the tongue,
• Lateral border
  • Mandible
    • Shallow groove on the medial surface of the mandible known as the sublingual fossa.
• Medial
  • Genioglossus muscle of the tongue

Relations

• Submandibular duct and Lingual Nerve pass alongside the medial aspect of the sublingual gland.

Duct

• Unite anteriorly and form a single mass through a horseshoe configuration around the lingual frenulum
• Superior aspect of this U-shape forms an elevated, elongate crest of mucous membrane called the sublingual fold (plica sublingualis).
• Each sublingual fold extends from a posterolateral position and traverses anteriorly to join the sublingual papillae at the midline, either side of the lingual frenulum.

Innervation

• Same as Submandibular gland anatomy