salivary gland

salivary gland

n.

A exocrine gland that secretes saliva, especially any of major salivary glands or minor salivary glands.

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Salivary gland

Three pairs of glands that secrete into the mouth and aid digestion.

Mentioned in: Dry Mouth, Parotidectomy

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salivary gland,

any one of three pairs of glands secreting into the mouth, thus aiding the digestive process. The salivary glands are the parotid, the submandibular, and the sublingual. They are racemose structures consisting of numerous lobes subdivided into smaller lobules connected by dense areolar tissue, vessels, and ducts. The sublingual gland secretes mucus; the parotid gland, serous fluid; and the submandibular gland, both mucus and serous fluid. The lobules of the salivary glands are richly supplied with blood vessels and fine plexuses of nerves. The hilum of the submandibular gland contains Langley's ganglion of nerve cells.

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salivary gland

any of the glands around the mouth that secrete saliva. The major ones are the three pairs known as the parotid, mandibular or submandibular and sublingual glands. There are other smaller salivary glands within the cheeks, e.g. zygomatic gland, and in the tongue.

Salivary glands in the dog. By permission from Aspinall V, O'Reilly M, Introduction to Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, Butterworth Heinemann, 2004

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salivary gland inflammation

see sialoadenitis, parotiditis.

salivary gland squamous metaplasia

of the interlobular duct of the salivary gland is a feature of hypovitaminosis A.