Sublingual gland
Glandula sublingualis
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- What it is
- The smallest major salivary gland, an almond-shaped body lying in the floor of the mouth just under the mucosa, between the tongue and the inner surface of the jaw bone; the two glands almost touch behind the chin.
- Function
- Secretes mainly thick mucous saliva through 8–20 tiny ducts (of Rivinus) that open along a ridge under the tongue, lubricating food and speech.
- Size
- About 3.5–4 cm long, 1.5 cm tall, 3–4 g
- Clinical note
- A blocked sublingual duct produces a ranula — a bluish, frog-belly swelling under the tongue.