Title
Tubarial salivary gland in dentistry: A review
Authors
Shyam Sunder Madhavan Nair1, Mihika Ann Menon2, Sameer Chauhan3, Libni D. Angel4, B. Harshitha5, Swati Parhar6, Mazen Ahmad Almasri7, Rahul Tiwari8,* & Anil Managutti8
Affiliation
1Department of Dentistry, NMC Royal Hospital, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; 2Department of Prosthodontics Crown and Bridge, M R Ambedkar Dental College, Bangalore, Karnataka, India; 3Department of Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge, K. M. Shah Dental College and Hospital, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth, Vadodara, Gujarat, India; 4Department of Pathology, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; 5Department of Periodontics, Sri Sai College of Dental Surgery, Vikarabad, Telangana, India; 6Department of Oral Pathology, Swami Devi Dyal Hospital and Dental College, Panchkula, Haryana, India; 7Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 8Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Narsinhbhai Patel Dental College and Hospital, Sankalchand Patel University, Visnagar, Gujarat, India; *Corresponding author
Shyam Sunder Madhavan Nair - E-mail: shyamasha@gmail.com
Mihika Ann Menon - E-mail: menonann866@gmail.com
Sameer Chauhan - E-mail: csameer309@gmail.com
Libni D. Angel - E-mail: libniangel2.ll@gmail.com
B. Harshitha - E-mail: baddamharshitha@gmail.com
Swati Parhar - E-mail: dr.swatiparhar@gmail.com
Mazen Ahmad Almasri - E-mail: malmasri@kau.edu.sa
Rahul Tiwari - E-mail: rtcfsurgeon@gmail.com
Anil Managutti - E-mail: dranilman12@gmail.com
Article Type
Review
Date
Received November 15, 2025; Revised December 15, 2025; Accepted December 15, 2025, Published December 15, 2025
Abstract
The tubarial salivary glands, identified in 2020 as paired mucous gland clusters located near the torus tubarius in the nasopharynx, have introduced new perspectives in salivary anatomy and oral health. Their clinical importance extends to radiology, oncology, dentistry and systemic disease involvement. Therefore, it is of interest to review current evidence on their anatomical features, imaging characteristics and clinical implications in dentistry, particularly in xerostomia, dysphagia and head-neck radiotherapy. Thus, we show that tubarial glands are relevant organs-at-risk in radiotherapy, potential sites of neoplastic change and participants in autoimmune conditions, underscoring their importance in dental practice.
Keywords
Tubarial salivary gland, nasopharynx, xerostomia, radiotherapy planning, dentistry
Citation
Nair et al. Bioinformation 21(12): 4375-4378 (2025)
Edited by
P Kangueane
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
