A retrospective study of 60 cases of salivary gland tumors in a Thai population

Sixty cases of salivary gland tumors were diagnosed in the Oral Pathology Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, from 1973 to 2002. Fifty-two cases (86.7%) involved the intraoral minor salivary glands, six cases (10%) were found in the major glands, and two cases (3.3%) were intrabony. The predominance of malignant over benign tumors was evident with 68.3% being malignant and 31.7% benign. Patients ranged in age from 9 to 75 years. The female to male ratio of benign intraoral salivary gland tumors was 1.4 to 1 and of malignant types was 1.1 to 1. The principle site of occurrence was the palate (65.4%), followed by buccal mucosa (13.5%). Pleomorphic adenoma (30%) was the most common benign tumor, and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (44.3%) was the most common malignant tumor. Comparing the data from the present study with other series, some discrepancies exist.