Absence of salivary glands in children with rampant dental caries: report of seven cases.

Seven cases of absence of two or more salivary glands in children are presented. In six of the cases the condition was congenital and in one it was the result of surgery to the submandibular ducts. The patients had been referred for treatment of rampant dental caries and were reviewed for periods ranging from 6 months to 15 years 9 months. The diagnosis of absence of salivary glands was based on careful inspection and palpation of the duct and duct orifice of each gland. One patient had dry lips and three had dry mouths, but none complained of excessive thirst or difficulty with mastication or swallowing. All the patients had very poor oral hygiene and rampant dental caries. The presence of carious lesions in mandibular incisors, particularly when their severity exceeds those present elsewhere in the mouth, should alert the clinician to the possibility that salivary glands may be absent.