Corpus: Submandibular duct
Synonym: Wharton's duct
1. Definition
The submandibular duct is the excretory duct of the submandibular salivary gland.
2. Course
The submandibular duct is about 5 cm long and considerably thinner than the excretory duct of the parotid gland. It begins widely branched in the glandular tissue and then runs rostrally in the submandibular triangle on the inside of the mandible in the lateral sulcus of the tongue between the mylohyoid muscle and the hyoglossus muscle. It is accompanied by the lingual nerve and the hypoglossal nerve.
Further along, the duct is situated between the genioglossus muscle and the sublingual gland. Finally, it opens into the oral cavity via a small papilla next to the lingual frenulum.