Salivary glands (Latin)

The glandula parotidea is the largest of the major salivary glands, located superficially in the front of the ear (regio preauricularis). It is shaped like an inverted pyramid and enclosed in a parotid capsule (capsula parotidea). A few important neurovascular structures traverse the glandula parotidea including the a. carotis externa, v. retromandibularis and n. facialis. The secreted content of the glandula parotidea gets released through the ductus parotideus (ductus Stensonis) whose orifice can be seen on the buccal wall at the level of the maxillary second molar (dens molaris maxillaris secundus). The glandula submandibularis is the second largest salivary gland, located inferior and deep to the ramus mandibulae in the trigonum submandibulare. This gland produces the largest amount of saliva that gets excreted through the ductus submandibularis (ductus Whartoni) which opens at the sublingual papilla under the tongue. The glandula sublingualis is an almond-shaped gland and is the smallest of the major salivary glands. It lies on the m. mylohyoideus and is covered by the mucosa of the floor of the mouth, which is raised as the plica sublingualis. It has several ductal openings that run along the sublingual folds: a ductus sublingualis major (of Bartholin) and as many as 20 ductus sublinguales minores (of Rivinius).