Submandibular duct

Last revised by Yoshi Yu on 6 Apr 2023

The submandibular duct (also known as Wharton's duct) allows the passage of saliva from the submandibular gland into the oral cavity.

The duct emerges from the deep part of the submandibular gland (within the sublingual space) on its medial surface, before coursing forwards to open at the sublingual papilla at either side of the base of the frenulum of the tongue.

The duct is superior to the lingual nerve and submandibular ganglion. It is accompanied by the lingual nerve, lingual vein and hypoglossal nerve as it courses forward.

It is approximately 5-6 cm in length and has a diameter of approximately 1-3 mm on conventional sialographic images.

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