Salivary Gland Disorders and Salivary Stones

Salivary gland functional disorders can occur for various reasons, including systemic diseases, medication use, radiation therapy, and viral infections. Common functional disorders include xerostomia, or dry mouth, and sialorrhea, and salivary duct obstruction/stones.

Xerostomia is a common side effect of many medications, particularly those used to treat depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure. Radiation therapy for head and neck cancers can also cause permanent damage to the salivary glands, resulting in xerostomia. This condition can lead to difficulty chewing, swallowing, and speaking, as well as an increased risk of dental caries and oral infections.

Sialorrhea, on the other hand, can be caused by a variety of neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis. This condition can lead to social embarrassment, skin irritation, and oral infections.

Salivary stones, also known as sialoliths, are a common condition characterized by the formation of calcified deposits within the salivary gland or its ducts. The exact pathophysiology of salivary stones is not well understood, but it is thought to be caused by a combination of factors, including changes in the composition of saliva, obstruction of the salivary ducts, and inflammation of the salivary gland tissue.

One theory suggests that salivary stones form when the concentration of calcium and other minerals in saliva becomes too high, leading to the precipitation and eventual calcification of these minerals within the salivary ducts. This process may be exacerbated by dehydration, poor oral hygiene, and certain medical conditions such as Sjogren's syndrome or chronic renal failure, which can alter the composition of saliva and increase the risk of stone formation (1).

Another contributing factor to the formation of salivary stones is the obstruction of the salivary ducts, which can occur due to a number of reasons, such as trauma, infection, or the presence of scar tissue. When the flow of saliva is disrupted, it can lead to stagnation of saliva within the ducts, increasing the risk of stone formation. In addition, inflammation of the salivary gland tissue, as seen in conditions such as chronic sialadenitis, can further increase the risk of stone formation by altering the normal function of the salivary gland and promoting the deposition of calcium and other minerals within the ducts (2).

References:

1. Escudier MP, Brown JE, Drage NA, McGurk M. Sialolithiasis: an unusually large submandibular gland stone. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2001;39(1):64-66.
2. Raja S, Suri C, Chakravarty N. Sialolithiasis: A Common Etiology of Recurrent Salivary Gland Swelling. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2016;74(6):1181-1186.

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