Submandibular gland
Glandula submandibularis
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- What it is
- A walnut-sized gland tucked under the jaw bone in the submandibular triangle of the neck, hooking around the back edge of the mylohyoid muscle. Its duct runs forward under the tongue to open beside the frenulum.
- Function
- Supplies about 70 % of resting saliva — a mixed watery and mucous secretion that keeps the mouth wet between meals.
- Size
- About 3.5 × 2 × 1.5 cm, 10–15 g
- Clinical note
- Because its saliva is thick and its duct (Wharton's duct, ~5 cm) runs uphill, 80 % of salivary stones form here, causing painful swelling under the jaw at mealtimes.