Abstract
Introduction Papillae are small conical bumps found on the skin or mucous membranes surfaces.
In the mouth, the parotid papillae are responsible for expelling saliva from the parotid
gland to its cavity. Sialadenitis is an inflammation that affects the salivary gland
and/or its duct.
Objectives To report a variable parotid papilla case and its implication in sialadenitis.
Materials and Methods The research was performed at the Morphofunctional Sciences Laboratory of the Faculdades
Integradas de Patos - FIP. We used a cadaveric hemiface from the anatomy laboratory
and a digital caliper rule for the morphometric evaluations.
Results The papilla found was located posterior to the 3rd molar. The distance from the variation
to the most frequent location of the papilla (18.8 mm).
Conclusion The variable papilla was located in the lower retromolar region, which increases
the chances of developing parotid sialadenitis, expanding the theoretical basis for
its clinical diagnosis.
Keywords
parotid papillae - anatomical variation - anatomy
