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Concept
Salivary gland disease
Summary
Salivary gland diseases (SGDs) are multiple and varied in cause. There are three paired major salivary glands in humans: the parotid glands, the submandibular glands, and the sublingual glands. There are also about 800–1,000 minor salivary glands in the mucosa of the mouth. The parotid glands are in front of the ears, one on side, and secrete mostly serous saliva, via the parotid ducts (Stenson ducts), into the mouth, usually opening roughly opposite the second upper molars. The submandibular gland is medial to the angle of the mandible, and it drains its mixture of serous and mucous saliva via the submandibular duct (Wharton duct) into the mouth, usually opening in a punctum in the floor of mouth. The sublingual gland is below the tongue, on the floor of the mouth; it drains its mostly mucous saliva into the mouth via about 8–20 ducts, which open along the plica sublingualis, a fold of tissue under the tongue.
The function of the salivary glands is to secrete saliva, which has a lubricating function, which protects the mucosa of the mouth during eating and speaking. Saliva also contains digestive enzymes (e.g. salivary amylase), has antimicrobial action, and acts as a buffer. Salivary-gland dysfunction occurs when salivary rates are reduced; this can cause xerostomia (dry mouth).
Some disorders affecting the salivary glands are listed below. Some are more common than others, and they are considered according to a surgical sieve; but this list is not exhaustive. Sialadenitis is inflammation of a salivary gland, usually caused by infections, although there are other, less common causes of inflammation, such as irradiation, allergic reactions, and trauma.
Congenital disorders of the salivary glands are rare. They include:
Aplasia
Atresia
Ectopic salivary gland tissue
Stafne defect - an uncommon condition which some consider to be an anatomic variant rather than a true disease. It is thought to be created by an ectopic portion of salivary gland tissue which causes the bone of the mandible to remodel around the tissue, creating an apparent cyst like radiolucent area on radiographs.
Official source
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