"Let's talk about salivary glands"

How are you all? I hope everyone is well. Alhamdulillah I am fine too. Today I will be taking part in a beautiful contest of the Healthy Steem community. This contest name is "Let's talk about salivary glands".

Thank you so much Ma'am @helengutier for organizing such a beautiful event.

Saliva is an unnecessary liquid secreted by the mouth. Salivary glands are exocrine glands that produce saliva in the mouth and are classified into major and minor glands. The major glands are the parotid glands, located in front of the ears on both sides of the jaw

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the submandibular glands, located on both sides of the mouth; and the sublingual glands, which are made up of numerous tiny salivary glands in the mouth.

The functions of the salivary glands are given below.

• About 1200-1500 grams of saliva every day cleans the food and tongue stuck in the mouth and frees it from germs.

• Helps make food suitable for digestion.

• Keeps the mouth slippery and moist.

• Helps in swallowing food properly.

• Protects the mouth from abrasions caused by teeth.

• Helps in removing bad breath and various other functions.

Generally, saliva contains 99% water and 1% organic and inorganic substances dissolved in it. The cellular components include yeast, bacteria, protozoa, etc. Inorganic salts include sodium chloride, potassium chloride, acidic and alkaline sodium phosphate, and calcium phosphate.

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Organic substances include tyalin, lipase, carbonic, phosphatase, lysozyme, enzymes, urea, etc. Saliva also contains oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide gaseous products.

From its production, the secretory acinus passes through the secretion duct to the oral cavity.

The pathology that can occur in the salivary glands is given below.

• A sialolithiasis, which is a salivary stone that can cause obstruction of the ducts. This causes pain and swelling of the submandibular duct.

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• Xerostomia is a condition in which the salivary glands are dysfunctional, causing dry mouth or reduced saliva production and discomfort.

• Sometimes tumours develop in the mouth and can develop into cancer.

Also, the salivary glands are very beneficial to us. They destroy many bacteria in our mouths.