The submandibular fossa is a depression on which surface and houses which gland?

• A. Buccal surface; parotid gland.
• B. Lingual surface; sublingual gland.
• C. Lingual surface; submandibular (salivary) gland.
• D. Occlusal surface; minor salivary glands.

Answer: (C)

The submandibular fossa is a depression on the lingual (medial) surface of the mandible, toward the posterior body, and it houses the submandibular gland. The lingual surface faces the tongue, which is why glands sitting in fossae there are described as on that surface. The parotid gland sits outside this area, near the cheek and masseter, not in a mandibular fossa. The sublingual gland occupies its own fossa on the lingual surface—the sublingual fossa—more anteriorly. The other surfaces mentioned (buccal and occlusal) are not where these salivary glands reside. So, the lingual surface paired with the submandibular gland is the correct relationship.