Necrotizing sialometaplasia
A benign and inflammatory reaction of salivary glands which is self-limiting in nature is what is referred to as necrotizing sialometaplasia.
It mimics squamous cell carcinomas and affects basically the salivary glands of the palate. It occurs due to the ischemia of vasculature which is present in the salivary gland lobules. It is a nonneoplastic inflammatory condition of the glands.
It presents itself as a unilateral necrotic ulcer on the hard palate. It appears to be firm, painful swelling and is fluctuant in nature. It looks just like a dental abscess and the condition also appears to be due to trauma, heavy smoking, and alcoholic consumption.
It commonly occurs to the palate and it is also seen involving other places and sites like a retromolar pad, pharynx, larynx, gingiva, cheeks, tongues, and nasal cavity wherever the salivary gland is located. It also appears to be present at the other sites including lungs, skin, and the breast.
According to the statistics, it only appears in 0.03% of all the lesions in the whites with predominance. The age group in which it is commonly seen is among the young to adults people who are 17 to 80 years of age. The gender predominance is among males with a 2: 1 ratio.
It is said to be self-limiting and does not require treatment as such. Supportive measures are required and it is seen that within 4-10 weeks without any complication it gets healed.
In dentistry, it is basically seen by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon or oral medicine and radiology people as they do an incisional biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and look for any kind of malignancy.
Unfortunately, it is not diagnosed properly, sometimes it can be diagnosed as a malignant neoplasm which causes wrong treatment with aggressive medicines. A normal biopsy can be done to confirm the diagnosis and to rule out any other disease or differential diagnosis.
It is advised that if the lesion won’t heal properly within 3 months then the repast biopsy should be done and proper medical consultation is required.
If you want to know more about this disease or you have symptoms matching the above then please reach out to us as soon as possible so that we can help you in any way possible. Our team includes world-class dentists with years of experience and expertise. For booking appointments as well you can call or be in touch with our treatment coordinators to get yourself started.
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