Indian Journal of Dental Research (Jan 2013)

Submandibular swelling: Tooth or salivary stone?

  • Pasquale Capaccio,
  • Giulia Anna Marciante,
  • Michele Gaffuri,
  • Francesco Spadari

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-9290.118017
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 24, no. 3
pp. 381 – 383

Abstract

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Submandibular swelling is a common clinical disorder of the maxillo-facial region that may be one of the manifestation of several pathologic disorders including sialolithiasis. A 38-year-old woman experienced a recurrent painful swelling in the right submandibular region for seven years. The symptoms, not always meal-related, gradually became chronic and associated with dysphagia, odynophagia and fever. Ultrasonography of the salivary glands revealed a retained glandular structure and no ductal obstruction or dilatation, and orthopantomography showed the presence of a structure compatible with tooth, but these findings did not correlate with clinical scenario. Only CT dental scan identified the radiological image as a salivary stone. Sialolithiasis should always be considered in the diagnostic iter of painful submandibular swelling. A careful evaluation of recurrence and characteristics of signs and symptoms associated to the swelling can help in making the correct diagnosis and planning a proper therapeutic strategy.

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