The salivary glands start the digestion of food by producing saliva in the oral cavity. Our most important salivary gland is the parotid gland. The parotid gland is the salivary gland located in front of the ear. The saliva produced by the parotid gland opens into the oral cavity through two small ducts at the level of the upper teeth. In addition to the production of saliva, its importance is due to the fact that the facial nerve, which innervates all the mimic muscles, runs or branches off from it.
Sometimes a previously undetected swelling can be seen or felt in the area corresponding to the parotid glands (in front of the ear, behind the angle of the jaw or under the angle of the jaw), which is usually painless and grows slowly, but can also develop suddenly. It may be that the movement of one side of the face suddenly or gradually ceases (paralysis). In such cases, an examination may reveal the presence of a benign or malignant tumour growing in the parotid gland, which cannot be seen from the outside.
