Treatment of Salivary Gland Abscess

About the disease

Salivary gland abscess is an inflammation of the salivary gland, responsible for production of saliva flow. Most commonly, salivary gland abscess is caused by various bacterial infections. Its most common manifestation is a discomfort in the mouth and also feeling of foul taste. People who also have high fever need to contact the doctor immediately as the infection can be quite dangerous depending on its pathogenesis.

Salivary gland abscess can develop also as a result of viral infection, although this happens more rarely. A person with salivary gland abscess can have problem producing efficient amount of saliva and swallowing it. In severe cases, a person can have problem breathing as well.

Overall, person needs saliva to properly chew the food and break it down normally, so that it is transported efficiently to the stomach through the trachea without any obstructions which could cause choking or shortness of breath. Saliva also keep away bacteria which can be in the food, thus protecting the body  from infections. It is also responsible for balance of bad and good bacteria in the mouth and when there is too much of bad bacteria saliva gland works to eliminate it efficiently. If saliva does not freely travel through the mouth, a person may develop salivary gland abscess. Most commonly the flow is obstructed in the presence of bacteria known as Staphylococcus aureus. Also, salivary gland abscess can develop as a result of such diseases as mumps, influenza and HIV. Salivary gland abscess is most common in people who are over age of 65.

Symptoms

• Discomfort in the mouth
• Foul taste
• Pain when swallowing food
• Discomfort when opening the mouth fully
• Pus in the mouth in some cases
• Dry mouth

Diagnosis

• During a general examination, a doctor will ask a patient to open the mouth to see if a person experiences pain while doing it. He will also check for redness of throat. A doctor may ask patient to swallow several times to see if swallowing is painful and if saliva is produced properly.
• A blood test is used to determine if a person has bacterial or viral infection.
• An MRI and CT scans are used to check the salivary gland and determine if there is an abscess.

Treatment

• Conservative treatment includes prescription of antibiotics if the cause of salivary gland abscess was bacterial infection. A person also needs to drink plenty of fluid and to rinse the mouth often to get rid of the harmful bacteria.
• Drainage is used if salivary gland abscess has caused the pus to appear in the mouth and if the infection needs to be drained.

Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko