SIALOLITHIASIS: REVIEW

Objectives. Sialolithiasis is the most common obstructive salivary gland disease, responsible for approximately 50% of salivary glands pathology cases. The aim of this study is to provide the literature review to present the incident rate, etiology, diagnostic and treatment trends of sialolithiasis Materials and methods: Data from the Medline database, PubMed.gov and supplementary sources were used to conduct a systematic literature search. Results: The 116 studies were analyzed. The relevant data were exported, summarized and presented. Conclusion: The most of available studies regarding the incidence rate of sialolithiasis have been based on selected hospital data and there are a few multicenter analyses. The etiology of salivary stones formation remains not completely clear and various hypotheses have been put forward, thus research into etiologic factors is still continues. Despite the introduction of new technologies in the diagnostics of salivary gland, the routine methods like radiographs and ultrasound examination are still relevant and widely used. Gland preserving techniques in the treatment of sialolithiasis have continuously replaced radical surgery