Corpus: Submandibular gland

The submandibular gland is a major salivary gland located in the head. It produces approximately 70 % of the saliva.

The submandibular gland is situated within the submandibular triangle, nestled between the mandible and the anterior and posterior bellies of the digastric muscle.

This gland is partitioned into two sections: a larger, superficial part, and a smaller, deeper part, divided by the mylohyoid muscle. The smaller section, also known as the sublingual process or uncinate process, extends into the sublingual space.

The gland's excretory duct, known as the submandibular duct, also travels into the sublingual space, where it reaches the sulcus lateralis of the tongue and opens into the oral cavity through the sublingual caruncle beneath the tongue.

The submandibular gland features a tubuloacinous structure and functions as a mixed seromucous salivary gland. It is primarily composed of serous acini, interspersed with mucinous glandular tubes.

Parasympathetic, or visceromotor, innervation of the submandibular gland originates from the superior salivatory nucleus. Axons from this nucleus are relayed to the submandibular ganglion through the facial nerve, chorda tympani, and lingual nerve. Postganglionic fibers then extend from the ganglion to the gland. Sympathetic innervation is provided by fibers emanating from the superior cervical ganglion.

Sialolithiasis, the formation of salivary stones, is the most common disorder affecting the submandibular gland.