Sublingual Gland

The sublingual glands are salivary glands in the mouth. They lie anterior to the submandibular gland under the tongue, beneath the mucous membrane of the floor of the mouth. They are drained by 8-20 excretory ducts called the ducts of Rivinus. The largest of all, the sublingual duct joins the submandibular duct to drain through the sublingual caruncle. The sublingual gland consists mostly of Mucous acini capped with serous demilunes and is therefore categorized as a mucous gland. Most of the remaining small sublingual ducts open separately into the mouth on an elevated crest of mucous membrane, the plica fimbriata, formed by the gland and located on either side of the frenulum linguae. The chorda tympani nerve (from the facial nerve via the submandibular ganglion) is secretomotor to the sublingual glands.

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