**6. Formation, secretion, and function of saliva**

The oral cavity is kept moist by a film of fluid called saliva, which constantly coats its inner surfaces and occupies the space between the lining oral mucosa and the teeth [1, 2, 8–11]. It is a complex fluid, produced by the salivary gland, whose important role is maintaining the well-being of mouth. The whole saliva that bathes the oral cavity is primarily a mixture of secretions from the paired major (parotid, submandibular, sublingual) glands and the numerous minor (labial, buccal, palatine, and lingual) glands. The formation of saliva occurs in two stages:


The functions of saliva are:

	- **a.** Lubricant

demilunes and may be present at the blind ends of the tubules. The intercalated and striated ducts are poorly developed, and mucous tubules open directly into ducts lined with

• **Labial and buccal glands:** The glands of the lips and cheeks are a mixed gland consisting of mucous tubules with serous demilunes. The intercalated ducts appear variable in length,

• **Glossopalatine glands:** The glands present in the region of isthmus in the glossopalatine

• **Palatine glands:** Palatine glands are a purely mucous gland, and the excretory ducts may have an irregular contour with large distensions as they course through the lamina propria. • **Lingual glands:** In anterior lingual glands, the anterior portion of the glands is chiefly mucous in nature, whereas the posterior portions are mixed. The posterior lingual glands

The oral cavity is kept moist by a film of fluid called saliva, which constantly coats its inner surfaces and occupies the space between the lining oral mucosa and the teeth [1, 2, 8–11]. It is a complex fluid, produced by the salivary gland, whose important role is maintaining the

and the intralobular ducts possess only a few cells with basal striations.

are purely mucous glands, but von Ebner's glands are purely serous gland.

**6. Formation, secretion, and function of saliva**

cuboidal or columnar cells without typical basal striations.

**5.2. Minor salivary glands**

**Figure 3.** Histology of mixed gland [3].

72 Histology

fold are purely mucous gland.

	- **a.** Many bacteria need a specific pH for growth; saliva prevents potential pathogens from colonizing in the mouth by denying them optimal environmental conditions.
	- **b.** Plaque microorganisms can produce acids from sugars, which if not rapidly buffered and cleared by saliva can demineralize enamel.
	- **a.** Lactoferrin binds free iron and in doing so deprives bacteria of its essential element.
	- **b.** Lysozyme hydrolyzes the cell wall.

○ Acute viral infections involving salivary glands result in temporary xerostomia ○ Anxiety, mental stress, and depression may temporarily decrease salivary flow

Salivary Glands

75

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.81213

• Symptoms

○ Halitosis

• Signs

○ Burning sensation

○ Difficulty in swallowing

○ Saliva pool disappears ○ Mucosa becomes dry

○ Angular cheilitis

○ Periodontitis ○ Candidiasis

**8. Conclusion**

**Author details**

Sonia Gupta<sup>1</sup>

○ Oral dryness (most common)

○ Loss of sense of taste or bizarre taste

○ Tongue tends to stick to the palate ○ Decreased retention of denture

○ Tongue shows glossitis and fissured with papilla atrophy

Salivary glands are compound, exocrine, and tubuloacinar in nature secreting saliva which keeps the oral cavity moist. The secretory units are acini, and saliva reached the oral cavity

through ducts. Saliva is of great importance to diagnostic and prognostic pathology.

○ Rampant caries at the cervical or cusp tip

\* and Nitin Ahuja<sup>2</sup>

1 Oral Pathologist, Jammu, J&K, India

\*Address all correspondence to: soniathegupta@gmail.com

2 Department of Oral Pathology, IDST College, Modinagar, UP, India

• **Tissue repair:** The rate of wound contraction is significantly increased in saliva due to the presence of peptides and proteins present in saliva.
