Karabıyık Ahmet Eren, Sumer Tuna, Çam Kübra, Uçak Semirgin Sibel, Zengin Ayşe Zeynep
Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Department, Ondokuzmayis University, Samsun, Türkiye.
Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department, Ondokuzmayis University, Samsun, Türkiye.
Clin Oral Investig. 2025 Feb 26;29(3):161. doi: 10.1007/s00784-025-06228-1.
Writing a letter to the editor.
Saliva plays a crucial role in chewing, swallowing, digestion, taste, and oral hygiene. In addition to the three major salivary glands in humans (parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands), the existence of small salivary glands scattered in the submucosa of the nasopharynx and oropharynx is also known.
Is it a new organ? This discovery has attracted significant attention from the scientific community but has also raised questions and sparked debates. Should the tubarial glands be classified as major or minor salivary glands, or as a separate organ? For a structure to be classified as an organ, it must have a distinct shape and structure, consist of multiple tissue types, and perform specific functions.
As we know, the definition and recognition of an organ must be based on scientific foundations. More research is needed on tubarial glands, and it seems that this discussion will continue for some time. Our purpose in writing this letter is to raise awareness of this issue among dental professionals.
致编辑的一封信。
唾液在咀嚼、吞咽、消化、味觉和口腔卫生方面起着至关重要的作用。除了人类的三大唾液腺（腮腺、颌下腺和舌下腺）外，人们还知道在鼻咽和口咽黏膜下层散在分布着小唾液腺。
它是一个新器官吗？这一发现引起了科学界的极大关注，但也引发了问题和争论。咽鼓管腺应归类为大唾液腺还是小唾液腺，或者作为一个独立的器官？一个结构要被归类为器官，它必须有独特的形状和结构，由多种组织类型组成，并执行特定的功能。
如我们所知，器官的定义和识别必须基于科学依据。对咽鼓管腺需要进行更多的研究，而且这场讨论似乎还会持续一段时间。我们写这封信的目的是提高牙科专业人员对这个问题的认识。
