Anatomy of Salivary Glands Quiz L2

• Parotid Gland: located in the cheek, consists of superficial and deep parts, divided by the facial nerve.
• Parotid Duct (of Stensen): 5 cm long, opens into the vestibule of the mouth, runs on the masseter muscle, pierces the buccinators muscle.
• Facial Nerve: most superficial structure in the parotid gland, divides it into superficial and deep parts, gives 5 branches within the gland.
• Retromandibular Vein: within the gland, formed by the union of maxillary and superficial temporal veins, divides into anterior and posterior branches, drains into the internal jugular vein (anterior branch) and external jugular vein (posterior branch).
• External Carotid Artery: deepest structure in the parotid gland, divided into maxillary and superficial temporal arteries, supplies the gland with blood.
• Parotid Gland: blood supply is by the external carotid artery, venous drainage is through the retromandibular vein, and lymphatic drainage is to the parotid (preauricular) lymph nodes.
• Parotid Gland: innervated by parasympathetic fibers (secretomotor) from the inferior salivary nucleus, passing through the glossopharyngeal nerve, tympanic plexus, and lesser petrosal nerve, reaching the otic ganglion.
• Submandibular Gland: located deep to the body of the mandible, consists of a large superficial part and a small deep part, the duct (of Wharton) emerges from the deep part, and can be palpated through the floor of the mouth alongside the tongue.
• Submandibular Gland: blood supply is by the facial artery, venous drainage is through the facial vein, and lymphatic drainage is to the submandibular lymph nodes.
• Submandibular Gland: prone to calculus formation, diagnosis involves finding a tense swelling below the body of the mandible, which is greatest before or during a meal and reduced in size between meals, with absence of saliva ejection from the affected gland's duct orifice and possible stone palpation in the duct.
• Sublingual Gland: smallest of the three salivary glands, located below the mucous membrane of the floor of the mouth, almond-shaped, contains multiple sublingual ducts that open into the summit of the sublingual fold or submandibular duct, and is supplied with blood by the facial artery and drained by the facial vein and submandibular lymph nodes.
• Ranula: mucus extravasation cyst involving the sublingual gland, found on the floor of the mouth.
• Sublingual and Submandibular glands: innervated by sympathetic fibers from the plexus around the facial artery and parasympathetic fibers from the superior salivary nucleus of the facial nerve, which pass to the submandibular ganglion via the chorda tympani and lingual nerve.
• MCQs: various questions testing the knowledge of the structures discussed in the text.

Note that some of the bullet points are repeated for clarity and completeness.

• Parotid Gland: located in the cheek, consists of superficial and deep parts, divided by the facial nerve.
• Parotid Duct (of Stensen): 5 cm long, opens into the vestibule of the mouth, runs on the masseter muscle, pierces the buccinators muscle.
• Facial Nerve: most superficial structure in the parotid gland, divides it into superficial and deep parts, gives 5 branches within the gland.
• Retromandibular Vein: within the gland, formed by the union of maxillary and superficial temporal veins, divides into anterior and posterior branches, drains into the internal jugular vein (anterior branch) and external jugular vein (posterior branch).
• External Carotid Artery: deepest structure in the parotid gland, divided into maxillary and superficial temporal arteries, supplies the gland with blood.
• Parotid Gland: blood supply is by the external carotid artery, venous drainage is through the retromandibular vein, and lymphatic drainage is to the parotid (preauricular) lymph nodes.
• Parotid Gland: innervated by parasympathetic fibers (secretomotor) from the inferior salivary nucleus, passing through the glossopharyngeal nerve, tympanic plexus, and lesser petrosal nerve, reaching the otic ganglion.
• Submandibular Gland: located deep to the body of the mandible, consists of a large superficial part and a small deep part, the duct (of Wharton) emerges from the deep part, and can be palpated through the floor of the mouth alongside the tongue.
• Submandibular Gland: blood supply is by the facial artery, venous drainage is through the facial vein, and lymphatic drainage is to the submandibular lymph nodes.
• Submandibular Gland: prone to calculus formation, diagnosis involves finding a tense swelling below the body of the mandible, which is greatest before or during a meal and reduced in size between meals, with absence of saliva ejection from the affected gland's duct orifice and possible stone palpation in the duct.
• Sublingual Gland: smallest of the three salivary glands, located below the mucous membrane of the floor of the mouth, almond-shaped, contains multiple sublingual ducts that open into the summit of the sublingual fold or submandibular duct, and is supplied with blood by the facial artery and drained by the facial vein and submandibular lymph nodes.
• Ranula: mucus extravasation cyst involving the sublingual gland, found on the floor of the mouth.
• Sublingual and Submandibular glands: innervated by sympathetic fibers from the plexus around the facial artery and parasympathetic fibers from the superior salivary nucleus of the facial nerve, which pass to the submandibular ganglion via the chorda tympani and lingual nerve.
• MCQs: various questions testing the knowledge of the structures discussed in the text.

Note that some of the bullet points are repeated for clarity and completeness.

Test your knowledge of the anatomy of the salivary glands including the Parotid, Submandibular, and Sublingual glands. Learn about their positions, shapes, structures, innervation, ducts, and more.