Salivary Stone Disease (Sialolithiasis): Symptoms, Complaints, Signs

The following symptoms and complaints may indicate sialolithiasis (salivary stone disease):

Pathognomonic (indicative of a disease).

  • Intermittent painful glandular swelling/swelling of the cheek in response to food intake.

Main symptoms of sialolithiasis

  • Clinically initially inapparent (“inconspicuous”).
  • Later, intermittent painful swelling before and during food intake
  • Possibly bad taste
  • Possibly spontaneous concrement discharge

Main symptoms of acute bacterial superinfected sialolithiasis.

  • Painful swelling in the area of the gland.
  • Redness of the skin
  • Swelling and redness of the excretory duct
  • Usually only unilateral infection
  • Sometimes putrid (“putrid”), flocculent and no longer clear saliva.

Localization of sialoliths:

Submandibular gland and Wharton’s excretory duct. 85 – 90 %
Parotid gland and stenon excretory duct 10 %
Sublingual gland and minor salivary glands < 5 %

Warning signs (red flags)

In about half of the cases, the so-called Küttner tumor of the submandibular gland (synonym: sialadenitis of the submandibular gland) is associated with sialolithiasis. Palpatorily, Küttner’s tumor is difficult to differentiate from a neoplasia (neoplasm).