Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Salivary Gland Disorders
Your salivary glands are in your mouth. You have three pairs of major salivary glands and hundreds of small (minor) glands. They make saliva (spit) and empty it into your mouth through openings called ducts. Saliva makes your food moist, which helps you chew and swallow. It helps you digest your food. It also cleans your mouth and contains antibodies that can kill germs.
Problems with salivary glands can cause them to become irritated and swollen. You may have symptoms such as:
- A bad taste in your mouth
- Difficulty opening your mouth
- Dry mouth
- Pain in your face or mouth
- Swelling of your face or neck
Causes of salivary gland problems include infections, obstruction, or cancer. Problems can also be due to other disorders, such as mumps or Sjogren's syndrome.
It sits within Mouth and Teeth.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Salivary Gland Disorders
1,008 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Docetaxel and SX-682 in Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Salivary Gland Carcinoma, and Advanced Prostate CancerNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- A Phase 2a/b Study to Assess the Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of DDY391 in Participants With Sjögren's DiseaseNovartis Pharmaceuticals
- Testing the Addition of an Anti-cancer Drug, BAY 1895344, With Radiation Therapy to the Usual Pembrolizumab Treatment for Recurrent Head and Neck CancerNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Sjogren's Mini-Pill Oral and Gut Microbiome StudyTufts University
- Study of Circular RNA Treatment in Patients With Radiation Induced Xerostomia-1RiboX Therapeutics Ltd.
- Chemotherapy With or Without Bevacizumab in Treating Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell CarcinomaNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
Research already completed
- The Use of Candy and Honey in Decreasing Salivary Gland Damage Following Radioiodine Therapy for Thyroid CancerCyprus University of Technology
- Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease in the Oral Cavity of Patients Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant and Including Healthy ControlsNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Saliva and Salivary Gland DisordersNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
- Spit Happens: The Surprising Importance of SalivaNational Institutes of Health
Living With
- Mouth Dryness or Thick SalivaAmerican Cancer Society
Genetics
- Lacrimo-auriculo-dento-digital syndrome: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Parotid DiseasesNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Salivary Gland DiseasesNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Salivary Gland Diseases. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Salivary Gland Disorders, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.