Salivary Gland Disease in Children

As with adults who endure a wide range of salivary gland (SG) disorders, the pediatric population can be victimized by the same range of SG diseases. Sialolithiasis and ranulas represent SG disorders that demonstrate similar expressions in both adults and children. However, the young often present themselves with variations in the incidence and symptomatology of known SG abnormalities. Furthermore, there are some SG conditions that are unique to children. Mumps represent a SG disease that can affect adults, but whose occurrence is significantly higher in the young. Sjögren syndrome (SS) can occasionally develop in the pediatric population, but it manifests a symptom complex that has differences from what is seen in the more common adult SS. Juvenile recurrent parotitis, cystic fibrosis and self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes represent glandular conditions that are essentially limited to the young.