ABSTRACT
Blockage of the salivary duct is characterised by pain and swelling of the affected gland during gustatory stimulation – a sign known as ‘mealtime syndrome’. Swellings can arise rapidly and take hours to subside. Salivary gland obstruction may be due to either extraductal or intraductal causes. Intraductal causes are far more common and include salivary calculi and duct stenoses. Both stones and strictures may cause decreased salivary flow, which can leave the patient prone to ascending sialadenitis. Amoxicillin is widely prescribed for bacterial infections, despite poor expression in saliva. Sialolithiasis accounts for approximately 50% of major salivary gland disease. The incidence of symptomatic sialolithiasis is between 27.5 and 59 cases per million population per year. A salivary calculus usually results in mechanical obstruction of the salivary duct. High-resolution ultrasound is indicated first for salivary obstruction.
