File:Parotid_gland_en.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Part of
- Salivary glands
- System
- Digestive system
- Latin
- glandula parotidea
- Mesh
- D010306
- Ta98
- A05.1.02.003
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
26,447 papers- Rare Parotid Gland Diseases.Otolaryngologic clinics of North America · 2016
- Oncocytic sialolipoma of parotid gland: Case report and literature review.Indian journal of pathology & microbiology · 2023
- Parotid Gland Venolymphatic Malformation Presentation As Macroglossia.Journal of Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad : JAMC · 2020
- Synchronous pleomorphic adenoma in parotid gland and parapharyngeal space: a case report and literature review.JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association · 2023
- Parotid gland surgery.Archives of otolaryngology (Chicago, Ill. : 1960) · 1962
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Illu quiz hn 02.jpg
Show 5 more facts
- Commons category
- Parotid glands
- arterial supply
- transverse facial artery
- innervated by
- trigeminal nerve
- NCI Thesaurus ID
- C12427
Sources (7)
via Wikidata · CC0
~23 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The parotid gland is a major salivary gland in many animals. In humans, the two parotid glands are present on either side of the mouth and in front of both ears. They are the largest of the salivary glands. Each parotid is wrapped around the mandibular ramus, and secretes serous saliva through the parotid duct into the mouth, to facilitate mastication and swallowing and to begin the digestion of starches. There are also two other types of salivary glands; they are submandibular and sublingual glands. Sometimes accessory parotid glands are found close to the main parotid glands.
The venom glands of snakes are a modification of the parotid salivary glands.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “parotid gland” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.