Salivary gland infections

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Head and neck glands

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Salivary gland infections

Alternative Names:

Parotitis; Sialadenitis

Treatment:

In some cases, no treatment is necessary.

If there is pus or a fever, or if the infection is known or presumed to be bacterial, antibiotics may be prescribed. Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections.

Good oral hygiene, with thorough tooth brushing and flossing at least twice per day, may aid healing and help prevent an infection from spreading. If you are a smoker, stop smoking as it helps in recovery.

Warm salt water rinses (1/2 teaspoon of salt in one cup of water) may be soothing and keep the mouth moist.

Drink lots of water and use sugar-free lemon drops to increase the flow of saliva and reduce swelling.

Expectations (prognosis):

Most salivary gland infections resolve spontaneously or are cured with treatment. Complications are not common, but they may occur.

Complications:

Abscess of salivary gland
Localized spread of bacterial infection (cellulitis, Ludwig's angina)
Recurrence of infection

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if symptoms of salivary gland infections are present.

Call your health care provider if a salivary gland infection has been diagnosed and symptoms worsen, particularly if fever increases, or there is breathing or swallowing difficulty (these may be emergency symptoms).

Review Date: 1/23/2005
Reviewed By: Kevin Fung, M.D., FRCS(C), Department of Otolaryngology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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