Frequency of Reactive Salivary Gland Lesions in the Samples Collected in Kashani and Al-Zahra Hospitals and Faculty of Dentistry in Isfahan in a 10-Year Period from 2007 to 2016

Salivary gland reactive lesions are acquired, non-infectious, and non-neoplastic lesions. Often, direct trauma and salivary flow obstruction are reported to be the etiologic agents for these lesions. This study aimed to determine the frequency of salivary gland reactive lesions recorded in Isfahan Ayatollah Kashani and Al-Zahra Hospitals and Dental School during a 10-year period (2007-2016).

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, patients' records (n = 435) with a diagnosis of reactive lesions (mucocele, ranula, adenomatoid hyperplasia, necrotizing sialometaplasia, sclerosing polycystic adenosis, obstructive sialadenitis, mucus retention cyst, cheilitis glandularis) were investigated in Isfahan therapeutic centers from 2007 to 2016. Data analysis was performed with SPSS 22, using ANOVA and chi-squared test (α = 0.05).

A total of 435 samples of salivary gland reactive lesions were seen that accounted for 4.74% of oral biopsies, 28.5% of the whole oral reactive lesions, and 29.45% of salivary lesions. Mucocele (60.7%) had the highest frequency among salivary reactive lesions. Patients with mucocele and ranula were significantly younger than those with other salivary gland reactive lesions (p value < 0.001). The highest incidence of salivary glands reactive lesions was observed in the lower lip (56.6%).

Considering the prevalence of salivary gland reactive lesions among all the oral and salivary biopsies, recognizing the epidemiological characteristics of these lesions leads to better differential diagnosis of them from other oral and salivary lesions, such as salivary gland tumors, leading to their appropriate treatment.