submandibulaarinen

Submandibulaarinen, or submandibular in English, refers to structures or regions located beneath the mandible (lower jaw). In human anatomy, the submandibular region lies inferior to the jaw and includes the submandibular triangle, whose boundaries are the inferior border of the mandible, the anterior belly of the digastric muscle, and the posterior belly of the digastric muscle, with the floor formed by the mylohyoid muscle. The roof is skin and platysma.

The principal contents of the submandibular region are the submandibular gland (glandula submandularis), the submandibular lymph nodes, and vascular and neural structures such as the facial artery and facial vein. The submandibular gland is a major salivary gland with superficial and deep lobes; its duct, the submandibular duct (ductus submandibularis, also known as Wharton’s duct), runs anteriorly to the floor of the mouth and opens at the sublingual caruncle near the tongue’s frenulum. Parasympathetic secretomotor fibers originate from the facial nerve via the chorda tympani and reach the gland through the submandibular ganglion, supplying the gland after postganglionic relay. The lingual nerve runs in the vicinity, and the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve is at particular risk during surgical procedures in this region.

Clinical relevance includes submandibular gland sialadenitis and sialolithiasis, as well as tumors such as pleomorphic adenomas. Infections can spread through the submandibular space, and surgical excision of the submandibular gland requires careful preservation of nearby nerves, particularly the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve.

Etymology: the term derives from Latin sub- (under) and mandibularis (of the mandible).