The applicability of ultrasound in the diagnosis of inflammatory and obstructive diseases of the major salivary glands: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present scoping review was to determine the contribution of ultrasound images in the diagnosis of inflammatory and obstructive diseases of the major salivary glands (MSGs). METHODS: A search of studies of ultrasonographic assessments of human samples was performed in several electronic databases and grey literature up to July 2021. The extracted data were the examined MSG; the diagnostic value of ultrasound (sensibility, specificity, positive- and negative predictive value, accuracy); features of lesions, including number, echogenicity, echotexture, form, margins, size, posterior acoustic aspect, and location; and related clinical information, such as swelling, palpation, sensible to pain, salivation, lymph nodes, recurrence, duration, and causes. RESULTS: After verifying the eligibility criteria, 90 articles focused on detecting inflammatory, and obstructive diseases of the MSG were gathered, with variable study designs and size samples. A wide variety of pathologies were assessed, including sialolitiasis (n = 45), acute sialadenitis (n = 30), chronic sialadenitis (n = 25), granulamatous diseases (n = 15), Kuttner's tumor (n = 11), juvenile recurrent parotitis (n = 9), abscess (n = 7), post-radiotherapy sialadenitis (n = 6), sialadenosis (n = 9), abscess (n = 7), IgG4-related disease sialadenitis (n = 5), HIV-sialadenitis (n = 4), obstructive sialadenitis (n = 3), iodinated contrast-induced sialadenitis (n = 2), and pneumoparotitis (n = 1). Most studies were case reports or series of cases. Few studies exhibited data about the accuracy of ultrasound in detecting MSG diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The present scoping review concluded that ultrasound aspects of different MSG pathologies are similar but contribute to their differential diagnosis and can be considered as a valuable initial method for assessing the MSG of adults and children.

Oral lymphatic malformations: A multicenter study of 208 cases and literature review.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the frequency and analyze demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals with a histopathological diagnosis of oral lymphatic malformations (OLMs). METHODS: A multicenter study was performed, collecting biopsy record data from a consortium of Brazilian Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Centers. A review was also conducted to compare this data with cases already available in the literature. RESULTS: This study retrieved 208 cases of OLM in the multicenter study and 1035 cases in the literature review. In both, OLMs affected male and female individuals equally, with the most affected site being the tongue. Individuals ≥60 years of age were uncommonly affected. Symptomatic and larger lesions were more commonly reported in the literature review. CONCLUSIONS: This study comprises the largest sample of OLMs to date. OLMs are rare conditions, without sex predilection. The elderly proved to be less frequently affected, and the tongue is the most commonly affected site.

Burning mouth syndrome: a therapeutic approach involving mechanical salivary stimulation.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the effects of salivary stimulation therapy on the salivary flow, quality of saliva, and symptoms in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS). BACKGROUND: BMS is a chronic disorder characterized by a burning sensation. Some reports have proposed a role for saliva in the pathogenesis of BMS. METHODS: Twenty-six BMS patients underwent treatment with salivary mechanical stimulation. Resting and stimulated saliva were collected before and after therapy. Salivary levels of total protein, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and nerve growth factor were assessed before and 90 days after therapy by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: A significant reduction in the burning sensation and number of burning sites as well as an improvement of taste disturbances and xerostomia were observed after therapy. The salivary flow was not significantly modified. However, the therapy resulted in a significant decrease in salivary levels of total protein and an increase of tumor necrosis factor-α. CONCLUSION: Salivary mechanical stimulation therapy is effective in reducing clinical symptoms of BMS.