Toh H, Kodama J, Fukuda J, Rittman B, Mackenzie I
Second Department of Oral Anatomy, Fukuoka Dental College, Japan.
Anat Rec. 1993 Jul;236(3):586-90. doi: 10.1002/ar.1092360319.
The parotid glands of 228 Japanese human cadavers were examined to determine the incidence and histological features of accessory parotid glands. The incidence was found to be 56% with no differences between right and left sides or between sexes. Thirty parotid glands and their associated accessory glands were examined histologically: eight of these accessory glands were found to be mixed secretory glands (i.e., containing both serous and mucous acini). Thus, the pattern of differentiation of a significant fraction of accessory glands differs from that of the main parotid gland: it appears that mixed acini, present in the early stages of development, persist into later life, and their presence may be related to tumors developing at these sites.
