| Submandibular duct | |
|---|---|
 Dissection, showingsalivary glands of right side. (Labeled as "submaxillary duct", but is identified as "submandibular duct" in newer sources.) | |
 Mandibular division oftrifacial nerve, seen from the middle line. The small figure is an enlarged view of theotic ganglion. ("Wharton's duct" labeled in lower left.) | |
| Details | |
| Location | Belowmouth |
| Source | Submandibular gland |
| Drains to | Mouth |
| Function | Drains saliva fromsubmandibular gland tomouth |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | ductus submaxillaris |
| TA98 | A05.1.02.012 |
| TA2 | 2811 |
| FMA | 86266 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Thesubmandibular duct (alsoWharton's duct or historicallysubmaxillary duct) is one of the salivary excretory ducts. It is about 5 cm long, and its wall is much thinner than that of theparotid duct. It drainssaliva from each bilateralsubmandibular gland andsublingual gland to thesublingual caruncle in thefloor of the mouth.
The submandibular duct arises from deep part ofsubmandibular gland, asalivary gland. It begins by numerous branches from the superficial surface of the gland, and runs forward between themylohyoid,hyoglossus, andgenioglossusmuscles. It then passes between the sublingual gland and the genioglossus and opens by a narrow opening on the summit of a small papilla (the "sublingual caruncle") at the side of thefrenulum of the tongue. It lies superior tolingual andhypoglossal nerves.
The submandibular duct may be duplicated on one side or both sides, creating an accessory submandibular duct.[1][2] Rarely, it may not perforate into themouth.[1]
The submandibular ducts drainsaliva from thesubmandibular andsublingual glands to thesublingual caruncles in the floor of the mouth[3]
The submandibular duct may be affected by stones, known assialolithiasis.[4] These may grow large, requiringsurgery to remove.[4] Simplepalpation may be used to identify the location of any stones before surgery.[4]
Rarely, the submandibular duct may not perforate into themouth.[1]Surgery may be used to repair thisbirth defect.[1]
The exit of the submandibular gland into the mouth may be realigned in patients whodrool.[5] This redirects the exiting saliva away from thevestibule and thelips.[5] Thissurgery has a fairly high success rate.[5] Rarely, the submandibular gland may need to be removed on one or both sides.[5]
The submandibular duct was initially described by theEnglishanatomistThomas Wharton ( 1614-73) and is sometimes referred to by his name.[6]
This article incorporates text in thepublic domain frompage 1135 of the 20th edition ofGray's Anatomy(1918)
