Salivary glands
Last revised by Craig Hacking on 20 Aug 2024
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Jones J, Hacking C, Sharma R, et al. Salivary glands. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 07 Oct 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-10456
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rID:
10456
Article created:
14 Aug 2010,
Jeremy Jones ◉
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Jeremy Jones had no recorded disclosures.
View Jeremy Jones's current disclosures
Last revised:
20 Aug 2024,
Craig Hacking ◉
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had the following disclosures:
- Philips Australia, Paid speaker at Philips Spectral CT events (ongoing)
These were assessed during peer review and were determined to not be relevant to the changes that were made.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosures
Revisions:
11 times, by
8 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
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Synonyms:
- Salivary gland
- Deep salivary glands
The salivary glands within the head and neck secrete various enzymes useful for mastication and digestion. They can be divided into major and minor salivary glands.
On this page:
Major salivary glands
The major salivary glands consist of the larger, paired salivary glands within the neck:
Minor salivary glands
There are up to 600 minor salivary glands located throughout the oral cavity within the lamina propria of the oral mucosa. They are 1-2 mm in diameter and are not encapsulated, unlike the major salivary glands. Instead, they are simply surrounded by connective tissue.
Deep salivary glands
Deep salivary glands are also known as von Ebner glands and are found within the circumvallate papillae of the tongue 1.
Tubarial salivary glands
In 2020, Valstar et al. 4 reported the discovery of previously overlooked salivary tissue in the nasopharynx. PSMA-positive, paired structures with mucous glands on histology were identified near the torus tubarius. These may explain radiotherapy-associated xerostomia.
Quiz questions
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References
- 1. Jr. JBS, Wackym PA. Ballenger's Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, 17th edition. Pmph USA. ISBN:1550093371. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Last's anatomy, regional and applied. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN:044304662X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Moore KL, Agur AMR, Dalley AF. Clinically oriented anatomy. LWW. ISBN:1451119453. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 4. Matthijs H. Valstar, Bernadette S. de Bakker, Roel J.H.M. Steenbakkers, Kees H. de Jong, Laura A. Smit, Thomas J.W. Klein Nulent, Robert J.J. van Es, Ingrid Hofland, Bart de Keizer, Bas Jasperse, Alfons J.M. Balm, Arjen van der Schaaf, Johannes A. Langendijk, Ludi E. Smeele, Wouter V. Vogel, The tubarial salivary glands: A potential new organ at risk for radiotherapy, Radiotherapy and Oncology, 2020, , ISSN 0167-8140, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radonc.2020.09.034.
Incoming Links
Articles:
- Pleomorphic adenoma
- Madelung disease
- Mikulicz syndrome
- Major salivary glands
- Organomegaly
- Sublingual gland
- Lacrimal gland
- Oncocytoma of the salivary glands
- F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose
- IgG4-related coronary disease
- IgG4-related arteritis and periarteritis
- Submandibular gland
- Parasympathetic ganglia in the head and neck
- Sjögren syndrome
- Sialendoscopy
- Submandibular gland agenesis
- Sialolithiasis
- MALT lymphoma
- Parotid gland
- Minor salivary glands
Cases:
- Salivary glands (Gray's illustration)
- Salivary gland neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential (SUMP)
- Submandibular sialadenitis secondary to sialolithiasis
- Ranula
- Pleomorphic adenoma - submandibular gland
- Sialolithiasis - submandibular gland
- Chronic submandibular sialolithiasis
- Pleomorphic adenoma of parotid gland (recurrence)
- Parotid gland injury
Multiple choice questions:
Related articles: Anatomy: Head and neck
- skeleton of the head and neck
-
cranial vault
- scalp (mnemonic)
- fontanelle
-
sutures
- calvarial
- facial
- frontozygomatic suture
- frontomaxillary suture
- frontolacrimal suture
- frontonasal suture
- temporozygomatic suture
- zygomaticomaxillary suture
- parietotemporal suture (parietomastoid suture)
- occipitotemporal suture (occipitomastoid suture)
- sphenofrontal suture
- sphenozygomatic suture
- spheno-occipital suture (not a true suture)
- lacrimomaxillary suture
- nasomaxillary suture
- internasal suture
- basal/internal
- skull landmarks
- frontal bone
- temporal bone
- parietal bone
- occipital bone
- skull base (foramina)
-
facial bones
- midline single bones
- paired bilateral bones
- cervical spine
- hyoid bone
- laryngeal cartilages
-
cranial vault
- muscles of the head and neck
- muscles of the tongue (mnemonic)
- muscles of mastication
-
facial muscles
- epicranius muscle
- circumorbital and palpebral muscles
- nasal muscles
-
buccolabial muscles
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- levator labii superioris alaeque nasalis muscle
- levator labii superioris muscle
- zygomaticus major muscle
- zygomaticus minor muscle
- levator anguli oris muscle
- malaris muscle
- risorius muscle
- depressors, retractors and evertors of the lower lip
- depressor labii inferioris muscle
- depressor anguli oris muscle
- mentalis muscle
- compound sphincter
-
orbicularis oris muscle
- incisivus labii superioris muscle
- incisivus labii inferioris muscle
-
orbicularis oris muscle
- muscle of mastication
- modiolus
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- muscles of the middle ear
- orbital muscles
- muscles of the soft palate
- pharyngeal muscles
- suprahyoid muscles
- infrahyoid muscles
- intrinsic muscles of the larynx
- muscles of the neck
- platysma muscle
- longus colli muscle
- longus capitis muscle
- scalenus anterior muscle
- scalenus medius muscle
- scalenus posterior muscle
- scalenus pleuralis muscle
- sternocleidomastoid muscle
-
suboccipital muscles
- rectus capitis posterior major muscle
- rectus capitis posterior minor muscle
- obliquus capitis superior muscle
- obliquus capitis inferior muscle
- accessory muscles of the neck
- deep cervical fascia
-
deep spaces of the neck
- anterior cervical space
- buccal space
- carotid space
- danger space
- deep cervical fascia
- infratemporal fossa
- masticator space
- parapharyngeal space
- stylomandibular tunnel
- parotid space
- pharyngeal (superficial) mucosal space
- perivertebral space
- posterior cervical space
- pterygopalatine fossa
- retropharyngeal space
- suprasternal space (of Burns)
- visceral space
- surgical triangles of the neck
- orbit
- ear
- paranasal sinuses
- upper respiratory tract
- viscera of the neck
- blood supply of the head and neck
-
arterial supply
-
common carotid artery
- carotid body
- carotid bifurcation
- subclavian artery
- variants
-
common carotid artery
- venous drainage
-
arterial supply
- innervation of the head and neck
-
cranial nerves
- olfactory nerve (CN I)
- optic nerve (CN II)
- oculomotor nerve (CN III)
- trochlear nerve (CN IV)
-
trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
- trigeminal ganglion
- ophthalmic division
- maxillary division
- mandibular division
- abducens nerve (CN VI)
- facial nerve (CN VII)
-
vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
- vestibular ganglion (Scarpa's ganglion)
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
- vagus nerve (CN X)
- (spinal) accessory nerve (CN XI)
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
- parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck
- cervical sympathetic ganglia
- greater occipital nerve
- third occipital nerve
-
cervical plexus
- muscular branches
- longus capitis
- longus colli
- scalenes
- geniohyoid
- thyrohyoid
-
ansa cervicalis
- omohyoid (superior and inferior bellies separately)
- sternothyroid
- sternohyoid
- phrenic nerve
- contribution to the accessory nerve (CN XI)
- cutaneous branches
- muscular branches
- brachial plexus
- pharyngeal plexus
-
cranial nerves
- lymphatic drainage of the head and neck
- embryological development of the head and neck
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