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salivary gland
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The Human Body Sjögren syndrome Medical illustration of a human head in profile showing the locations and ducts of the major salivary glands: parotid gland near the ear, submandibular gland beneath the jaw, and sublingual gland under the tongue.
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salivary gland

anatomy
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Top Questions

What are the types of secretions produced by salivary glands?

How does the ductal system of salivary glands work?

What are the major salivary glands in humans?

Where are the parotid glands located?

What is the function of striated ducts in salivary glands?

salivary gland, any of the organs that secrete saliva, a substance that moistens and softens food, into the oral cavity of vertebrates.

Secretion and function

Salivary glands may be predominantly serous, mucous, or mixed in secretion. Mucus is a thick, clear, and somewhat slimy substance. Serous secretion is a more liquid opalescent fluid composed of water and proteins, such as the digestive enzyme amylase. Depending on the types of cells present, the glands may be specific, giving off only one of these two substances, or they may be mixed, giving off combinations of both secretions. Secretions can be increased by the presence, thought, or smell of food and by thermal stimulation. Salivary flow also exhibits a circadian rhythm, leading to variations at different times of the day and night.

Ductal system

Saliva produced in the salivary glands is carried into the mouth through a branching system of ducts:

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  • Intercalated ducts: These small ducts branch from the gland’s secretory units, called acini. Intercalated ducts are lined by a single layer of cuboidal cells. Among these cells are reserve cells, which play an important role in repairing and regenerating damaged secretory tissue.
  • Striated ducts: Connecting to the intercalated ducts, striated ducts are located within the lobules of the gland—hence called intralobular ducts. Their walls are made of columnar epithelial cells. These cells display striations or stripes at their base, which result from rows of mitochondria (the cell’s energy producers) packed between folds in the cell membrane. This structure helps the cells adjust the levels of sodium and potassium in the saliva, a process that influences its final salt and water balance before it enters the mouth.
  • Interlobular ducts: These are the largest ducts in the salivary gland system, and they lie within the connective tissue separating lobules in the glands. They are lined by multiple layers of columnar cells. As interlobular ducts join together, they form the main excretory duct of each gland. Near the duct’s opening into the mouth, the lining changes to flat, smooth, nonkeratanized cells.

Major glands

In addition to numerous small glands in the tongue, palate, lips, and cheeks, humans have three pairs of major salivary glands that open into the mouth through well-developed ducts.

Parotid glands

The parotid salivary glands, the largest of the three, are located between the ear and ascending branch of the lower jaw. Each gland is enclosed in a tissue capsule and is composed of fat tissue and cells that secrete mainly serous fluids. Each gland’s major duct (Stensen’s duct) opens in the rear of the mouth cavity near the second upper molar.

Submandibular glands

The second pair, the submandibular glands, also called submaxillary glands, is located along the side of the lower jawbone. A capsule of tissue surrounds each of these glands. The major duct of each (Wharton’s duct) opens into the floor of the mouth at the point where the front of the tongue meets the floor of the mouth. The glands give off mixed secretions mostly serous in nature.

Sublingual glands

The third pair, the sublingual glands, is situated beneath the mucous membrane of the floor of the mouth, near the chin region. The glands are not covered by a capsule and are therefore more dispersed throughout the surrounding tissue. They have many ducts (Rivinus’s ducts) that open near the junction of the tongue and the mouth’s floor; several unite to form Bartholin’s duct, the major duct of the sublingual gland, which empties into or near the submaxillary duct. These glands secrete a mixed fluid that is mainly mucus. See also saliva.

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Urnesha Bhattacherjee.