Functional compensation of a hypertrophied sublingual gland and the absence of the ipsilateral submandibular gland

The absence of the submandibular gland and the enlargement of the ipsilateral sublingual gland has been reported previously, and may occur unilaterally or bilaterally. The finding may be incidental, as a symptom associated with reduced saliva, or an enlarged gland, or it can manifest as a mass in the neck.1 –5 Although aplasia or atrophy of the submandibular gland is thought to cause hypertrophy of other glands, including the sublingual gland, compensation of function by the glands has not been shown so far.

Source: The British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery - July 1, 2019 Category: ENT & OMF Authors: Jihyun Chung, Yong Won Lee Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research