The major sublingual ducts, also known as Bartholin ducts, are the main excretory ducts of the sublingual glands. Unlike other salivary ducts which are usually singular (Stensen duct, Wharton duct), sublingual glands typically have multiple ducts (about 8-20 ducts), with Bartholin duct being the most prominent 1-3. Generally, there are only two Bartholin ducts (one for each sublingual gland). The secondary ducts are called the ducts of Rivinus 2.
Gross anatomy
Bartholin ducts arise from the inferior region of the sublingual gland and converge towards the anterior part of the oral cavity. These ducts run parallel to the duct of Rivinus and open at the sublingual caruncle together with the opening of the Wharton ducts 4. This sublingual caruncle is situated on both sides of the lingual frenulum. These ducts alongside the ducts of Rivinus serve as channels between the sublingual glands and the oral cavity 1.
History and etymology
The Bartholin ducts were named after the Danish anatomist Caspar Bartholin the Younger (1655-1738) who also wrote an article about the complex anatomy of sublingual salivary glands 2. The duct of Rivinus was first described by Augustus Quirinus Rivinus (1652–1723), a German anatomist 5.
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