Diagnostic Saliva On The Body , Both In Health And In Disease

Saliva, a biofluid most available and non-invasively from the human body, permanent "bathes" the mouth and trying to cope with a changing environment. Oral cavity, is very complex and unique environment for multiple functions, the only place in the body where the mineralized tissues exposed to the external environment in which there are complex interactions between different surfaces: the host network software and hardware, food, air, and microorganisms. Saliva includes a large number of inorganic and organic compounds, which act as "mirrors the body's health." In addition to its other functions, saliva could constitute the first line of defense against oxidative stress. Because the composition and function, saliva can have a significant role in controlling oxidative damage and / or modulation in the oral cavity. As a diagnostic fluid, saliva offers distinctive advantages over serum. Furthermore, saliva may

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Salivary Gland Location / Submaxillary Gland Enlargement

The glands are located in and around the mouth and throat. The major salivary glands are called the parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands. (See illustration)
They all secrete saliva into the mouth: the parotid through ducts near the upper teeth, submandibular into the front portion under the tongue, and the sublingual through multiple ducts in the floor of the mouth.


In addition to these glands, there are hundreds of tiny glands called minor salivary glands located in the lips, inner cheek area (buccal mucosa) and extensively in other linings of the mouth and throat. Salivary glands produce the saliva used to moisten your mouth, initiate digestion, and help protect teeth from decay.
WHAT CAUSES ABNORMAL GLANDS?


Abnormalities of the salivary glands which cause clinical symptoms can be grouped as follows:

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Submandibular Glands / Submandibular Salivary Gland Swelling

Anatomy

Approximately 1.5 L/day of saliva is produced by three pairs of major salivary glands:

The parotid glands lie below the external auditory meatus, between the vertical ramus of the mandible and the mastoid process. The parotid duct crosses the masseter and opens via a small papilla on the buccal membrane opposite the crown of the second upper molar. The parotid gland has an intimate relationship with the facial nerve, which subdivides into its branches as it passes through the parotid.
The submandibular glands are walnut-sized paired structures, lying beneath and in front of the angle of the jaw, wrapping around the posterior edge of the mylohyoid muscle. Their ducts emerge to the floor of the mouth just lateral to the frenulum of the tongue.
The sublingual glands lie below the tongue and open through several ducts to the floor of the mouth.

There are also a large number (600-1,000) of minor salivary glands widely distributed throughout the oral mucosa, palate, uvula, floor of the mouth, posterior tongue, retromolar and peritonsillar area, pharynx, larynx and paranasal sinuses.
Presentation
Symptoms

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