Where is the sublingual space located?

Figure 7 Drawing shows the relations of the major salivary glands and ducts to the soft-tissue components of the floor of the mouth. The sublingual space is located on both sides of the tongue, superomedial to the mylohyoid muscle and lateral to the midline geniohyoid-genioglossus muscle complex (1,2).

What is the sublingual region?

The sublingual glands are almond-shaped and lie on the floor of the oral cavity. They are situated underneath the tongue, bordered laterally by the mandible and medially by genioglossus muscle of the tongue. The glands form a shallow groove on the medial surface of the mandible known as the sublingual fossa.

Which cranial nerves are located in the sublingual space?

The sublingual space includes the sublingual gland, the deep portion of the submandibular gland and its main excretory duct, the hypoglossal nerve (cranial nerve XII), the lingual nerve (branch of the mandibular branch of trigeminal), and the glossopharyngeal nerve (IX cranial nerve), and the lingual artery and vein.

What is the sublingual fold?

The sublingual glands lie directly under the mucous membrane covering the floor of the mouth beneath the tongue. In human digestive system: The floor of the mouth. …a slight fold called a sublingual papilla, from which the ducts of the submandibular salivary glands open.

How many sublingual spaces are there?

Imaging Anatomy. The OC can be subdivided into 4 distinct imaging areas: (1) Oral mucosal space/surface (OMS), (2) sublingual space (SLS), (3) submandibular space (SMS), and (4) root of tongue (ROT).

What causes a sublingual abscess?

The condition usually develops from an odontogenic infection, especially of the 2nd and 3rd mandibular molars. Contributing factors may include poor dental hygiene, tooth extractions, and trauma (eg, fractures of the mandible, lacerations of the floor of the mouth).

What is the main function of the sublingual gland?

It is made up of mainly mucous acini with serous demilunes. It is the only unencapsulated major salivary gland. Sublingual tissue primarily produces a thick mucinous fluid and lubricates the oral cavity which allows for swallowing, initiating digestion, buffering pH, and dental hygiene [3].

What is the main function of sublingual glands?

What does the sublingual gland secrete?

The sublingual gland, the smallest major salivary gland, produces serous and mucous saliva (in a 1:3 ratio). It is located on the mylohyoid muscle and covered by the mucosa of the floor of the mouth, adjacent to the sublingual fossa of the mandible. The gland is associated with the sublingual folds beneath the tongue.

What causes sublingual abscess?

These infections result from reduced saliva production. This is often caused by the blockage or inflammation of the salivary gland duct. Viruses and other medical conditions can also reduce saliva production, including: mumps, a contagious viral infection that’s common among children who haven’t been immunized.

Which is the smallest salivary gland?

sublingual glands
The sublingual glands are the smallest of the major salivary glands. These almond-shaped structures are located under the floor of the mouth and below either side of the tongue.

What makes up the sublingual space of the mouth?

This space contains the lingual artery and nerve, the hypoglossal nerve, the glossopharyngeal nerve, Wharton’s duct, and the sublingual salivary gland, which drains into the oral cavity through several small excretory ducts in the floor of the mouth and a major duct known as Bartholin’s duct.

What are the Communications of the submental space?

The communications of the submental space are: the submandibular spaces posterolaterally. the sublingual space superiorly (via erosion through the mylohyoid). Its contents are submental lymph nodes, areolar connective tissue and the anterior jugular veins . This space may be created by pathology, such as the spread of pus in an infection.

How is the drainage of the sublingual space done?

Surgical drainage of the sublingual space should be performed intraorally by an incision through the mucosa parallel to the Wharton duct bilaterally. If the submandibular space is to be drained, both spaces can be reached through a submandibular approach.

Is the sublingual space bounded by fascia posteriorly?

As the sublingual space is not bounded by fascia posteriorly, some authors consider the sublingual space a component of the submandibular space 2. More commonly, however, the sublingual and submandibular spaces are discussed separately 3-5.