Hygiene Atlas

Atlas · Plate I · Head and Neck Anatomy · 06

Lymph nodes

Lymph nodes filter drainage from the teeth and face, so they are palpated in every extraoral exam, comparing sides and working from superior to inferior. Submental nodes drain the mandibular incisors and tongue tip, submandibular nodes drain most other teeth, and all of them empty into the deep cervical chain. Tender, soft, mobile nodes suggest infection; hard, fixed, painless nodes are a cancer red flag.

High-yield facts · 7

  1. Superficial nodes include occipital, retroauricular, anterior auricular, superficial parotid, facial, submental and submandibular nodes.T4
  2. Submental nodes drain the mandibular incisors, chin, center of lower lip, floor of mouth and tongue tip.T4
  3. Submandibular nodes drain most maxillary and mandibular teeth (except mandibular incisors), the cheeks, upper lip and the anterior tongue.T4
  4. Maxillary third molars can drain to the superior deep cervical nodes.T4
  5. The jugulodigastric (tonsillar) node is a superior deep cervical node often enlarged with tonsillitis.T4
  6. Nodes from infection tend to be tender, soft and mobile; cancerous nodes tend to be hard, painless and fixed (matted).T2
  7. Palpate nodes bilaterally from superior to inferior, comparing sides.T2

Facts are written in our own words; each tag links to its source. Values marked "sources vary" differ between references, so check the one your program uses.