The Abundant Functions of Salivary Glands in the Human Body

The functions of the salivary glands are very abundant. The salivary glands have an important function in the digestive system. This part of the body’s anatomy is a very vital part.

Salivary glands are one of the anatomy in the human body that is sometimes forgotten. In fact, this section also has a role that is no less important.

When talking about its role, the salivary glands are clearly directly related to the digestive system. Because after all, the salivary glands are in the mouth area.

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However, what are the other functions of these glands in the body?

Functions of the Salivary Glands in the Body

The mouth is an organ that functions in the digestive system and also to speak, even to breathe.

In the mouth itself there is a gland called the salivary gland or salivary gland.

Even though our eyes cannot see it directly, this gland has a very real function. As the name implies, of course this gland plays an important role in producing saliva or saliva.

What are salivary glands?

Before that, you need to understand what a salivary gland is first. Launching from wikipedia, salivary glands or salivary glands are parts of the body that exist in mammals.

The salivary glands are exocrine glands which are glands with separate ducts. These glands play an important role in producing saliva.

There are three main types of salivary glands that can produce saliva, these glands are parotid, submandibular, and also sublingual.

The three main types of salivary glands are located in three locations around the face. The function of the salivary glands is of course still the same.

Main Salivary Gland Functions

Previously it was mentioned that there are three main parts of the salivary glands. The three pairs of salivary glands certainly have different functions as well.

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First there is the parotid gland or parotid gland. This is the largest salivary gland that is in front of the ear and functions to produce saliva which is excreted into the mouth through a channel near the upper second molars.

The second is the submandibular gland which is the size of a walnut. This gland is located at the bottom of the jaw with its main function of producing saliva, then secretion into the mouth through the canal under the tongue.

Then the last is the function of the sublingual main salivary gland. These sublingual salivary glands are in the floor of the mouth and also under either side of the tongue.

From this description, the function of the three main salivary glands is still the same, namely to produce saliva. It’s just that all three have different saliva excretion channels into their mouths.

Minor Salivary Glands

In addition to the major salivary glands, there are hundreds of minor salivary glands throughout the mouth. In fact, they are too small to see them using a microscope.

The minor salivary glands line the mucosa (mucous membrane) of the aerodigestive tract and also all parts of the mouth. The upper aerodigestive tract includes the channel that connects the mouth and nose (breathing and swallowing).

Of course the function of these salivary glands is still the same, namely to produce saliva in the oral cavity. Not only that, there are several other functions of the minor or minor salivary glands, which are as follows:

• The minor salivary glands play a role in moisturizing the mouth.
• Can protect teeth and mouth from infection and decay.
• Small salivary glands will help in lubricating food so that the digestive process runs smoothly.
• Lubrication of the buccal mucosa by saliva will help the process of speaking and also tasting.

In addition, these salivary glands also have an important role in helping the process of digesting food.

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This is because the salivary glands are capable of producing digestive enzymes, namely ptyalin enzymes which are part of the amylase enzyme.

The ptyalin enzyme that the salivary glands produce will work to break down complex carbohydrates (starch) into maltose which is sugar from a glucose molecule.

In general, these complex carbohydrates will be turned into simple glucose by ptyalin enzymes from saliva to make it easier for the body to digest them.

Just like other organs of the body, the function of the salivary glands is also very abundant. You certainly need to understand it to always maintain healthy teeth and mouth, so that the salivary glands are maintained. (R10/HR-Online)