The Parasympathetic Root of the Submandibular Ganglion: A Review

Edward C Muo; Juan J Cardona; Arada Chaiyamoon; Joe Iwanaga; R Shane Tubbs

doi:10.7759/cureus.33775

The Parasympathetic Root of the Submandibular Ganglion: A Review

Cureus. 2023 Jan 14;15(1):e33775. doi: 10.7759/cureus.33775. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Authors

Edward C Muo¹, Juan J Cardona¹, Arada Chaiyamoon², Joe Iwanaga^{1

3

4}, R Shane Tubbs^{1

3

5

6

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA.
² Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, THA.
³ Department of Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA.
⁴ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Anatomy, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, JPN.
⁵ Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George's University, St. George's, GRD.
⁶ Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA.
⁷ Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA.
⁸ Department of Neurosurgery, Ochsner Neuroscience Institute, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, USA.

Abstract

The submandibular ganglion is a small fusiform-shaped cluster of cell bodies of the parasympathetic nervous system. Parasympathetic innervation of the submandibular gland is not only responsible for the secretion of saliva, but it also plays a main role in the development and regeneration of the gland. The parasympathetic root of the submandibular ganglion or the posterior branch of the lingual nerve to the submandibular ganglion is one of three roots of the submandibular ganglion. Using standard search engines (PubMed, Google), papers in English discussing the anatomy, embryology, variations, and clinical significance of the parasympathetic root of the submandibular ganglion were reviewed.

Keywords: anatomy; clinical; saliva; salivary gland; secretion; submandibular ganglion.

Publication types

Review