Salivary Gland Disorders in Pediatric Patients: A 20 Years’ Experience

Abstract

Salivary gland disorders are uncommon in children; they show a lower prevalence when compared to adults. The literature has a relative lack of information about the management and the different treatment protocols regarding these diseases. The aim of this research is to investigate the prevalence of both benign and malignant salivary gland disorders, focusing on diagnostic and therapy. An audit of patients diagnosed with salivary gland disorders was conducted from 2000 to 2020. 99 patients’ records were selected and analyzed: 51 males’ and 48 females’, age 10 ± 4 SD. Obstructive pathologies were the most frequently diagnosed (49 patients) followed by oncologic (21 patients), inflammatory (20 patients), rheumatologic (4 patients), malformative (3 patients) and infective disorders (2 patients). The parotid was the most affected major gland in 47 cases with a prevalence of diagnosis of juvenile recurrent parotitis (JRP) (40.4%), followed by the sublingual gland in 14 cases of ranula (100%) and the submandibular gland in 11 patients suffering from sialolithiasis (84.6%). Swelling was the most common symptom (75.7% of patients). Seven different neoplasms were documented. A greater prevalence of low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma among the malignant group (38.1% of oncologic cases) was noted. In regards to benign tumors, pleomorphic adenoma was the most common diagnosis (47.6% of cases). The symptoms and outcomes showed statistical significance concerning gender. Although salivary gland diseases in children and adolescents are rare, it is essential to observe and monitor all of the symptoms to intervene if necessary, as painless swelling is a symptom common from both benign and malignant diseases.

Salivary Gland Diseases: A Retrospective Clinicopathological Study of 159 Cases

“…Gellrich et al reported 146 pediatric patients with salivary gland disorders over a study period of 15 years [ 10 ]. Another study from Italy reported 99 children with salivary gland disorders over 20 years [ 11 ]. The majority of the studied patients were in the sixth decade of life which was similar to previous investigations [ 12 ].…”

Use of Irrigation Device for Duct Dilatation during Sialendoscopy

“…Sialendoscopy is a procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of salivary obstructive and inflammatory diseases [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. It can be performed under local or general anesthesia depending on the level of difficulty of the individual case.…”

Sialendoscopy in Management of Juvenile Recurrent Parotitis—A Single Centre Experience

“…The treatment was either conservative or occasionally with aggressive surgical interventions such as Stensen’s duct ligation, superficial or total parotidectomy, and tympanic neurectomy [ 16 ]. The current treatment is shifted towards gland preservation with minimally invasive modalities such as sialendoscopy [ 1 , 17 ]. The latest has tremendously lowered the possibility of collateral damage, e.g., facial nerve injury or fibrosis of the salivary gland [ 4 , 18 ].…”

“…Although considered rare, it is the second most common inflammatory disease of salivary glands in children. It is characterised by painful and intermittent swelling of the salivary glands that can be uni- or bilateral [ 1 , 2 ]. The condition is accompanied by overlying skin erythema, malaise, and pyrexia.…”