Mind Map

Saliva
- Lubricates and cleanses oral mucosa protecting from dryness and potential
carcinogens
- Helps food in digestion by enzyme activity
- Buffer protecting oral mucosa against acids from foods and dental biofilm
- Antibacterial activity
- Maintains tooth integrity by helping to remineralise tooth’s surface
- Involved in first step in dental biofilm formation as contributes to formation of
the pellicle on the tooth and mucosal surfaces
- Supplies minerals for supragingival calculus formation
pH of saliva and associated bacteria ultimately decides if your patient will present with
carious lesions or calculus

Facilitates
- Chewing
- Swallowing
- Speech
- Taste
- Lubrication of gingiva, teeth and of the food bolus for swallowing
- Cleansing: dilution and clearance of dietary sugars
- Digestion: 1st stage of digestion via salivary amylase (Ptyalin), lipases
- Protective: antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral
- Buffering- pH control of plaque acids (bicarbonate)
- Remineralisation: via calcium, phosphate and fluoride ions
- Carrier of antibodies, hormones, enzymes

Major and minor salivary glands

- Exocrine glands (has associated duct)
- Composes of epithelium and connective tissue (epithelium lines duct and
produces saliva, connective tissue surrounds epithelium, protecting and
supporting the gland)

Parotid:
 - Largest encapsulated
- 25% of total salivary volume, unstimulated
- 60% stimulated saliva
- Located behind mandibular ramus, Anterior and inferior to the ear
- Serous cells predominate
- Stenson’s duct, opens into oral cavity on inner surface of buccal mucosa
opposite maxillary second molar at parotid papillae

Submandibular:
- 2nd largest
- 60-65% of total salivary volume
- 24% stimulated saliva
- Located beneath mandible in submandibular fossa
- Serous and mucous cells = mixed secretory products
- Wharton’s duct, travels anteriorly on floor of mouth opens into oral cavity at
sublingular caruncle

Sublingual:
- Smallest
- Uncapsulated
- 8% unstimulated and unstimulated
- Located sublingual fossa, anterior to submandibular gland in floor of mouth
- Serous and mucous cells but mucous in majority
- Bartholins duct, opens directly into oral cavity same opening as submandibular
and also along sublingual folds

Minor:
- Smaller but more numerous
- Exocrine glands
- 8% unstimulated and stimulated saliva
- Ducts open directly onto mucosal surface, scattered in tissue (Buccal, labial and
lingual mucosa, soft palate, lateral of hard palate, floor of mouth)
- Mostly mucous cells = mucous secretions
Von Ebners salivary glands associated with circumvallate lingual papillae on posterior
dorsal surface of the tongue. Contains only serous cells = serous secretions
Conditions in Clinic, relating to salivary glands:
- Sialolithiasis: calcium stones form in salivary glands can partial or completely
stop the flow of saliva
- Sialadenitis: infection of the salivary gland resulting from stones blocking the
gland.
- Sjogrens syndrome: autoimmune condition affects the rate of saliva flow
- Xerostomia: reduction in salivary flow making the tissues in the oral cavity more
susceptible to infection and allows the growth of harmful organisms.
- Radiation: decreases salivary flow rates causing a dysfunction that is generally
irreversible