Initial experience from a multidisciplinary pediatric salivary gland disorder clinic

This study is the first in the literature to characterize and detail the clinical and surgical experience of one of the few multidisciplinary salivary gland disorder clinics in North America.

This is a retrospective chart review of a descriptive nature, including patient information from February 2013 to August 2014. The Salivary Gland Disorder Clinic (SGDC) is located at Nationwide Children's Hospital, a public academic hospital. All patients seen at the SGDC were included in this study, 54 in total. Patients were seen for any salivary gland disorder presentation, ranging from sialorrhea to glandular masses.

A total of 70.4% of patients presented to the SGDC with a chief complaint of sialorrhea. Nearly 28% had previously experienced documented aspiration, and drooling severity and frequency was 4.06 and 3.3 on the Thomas-Stonell and Greenberg Drooling Rating Scales. 50% of patients presented with neurologic comorbidities and 25.9% with aerodigestive tract anatomic defects. Over 35% of patients had previously attempted medical treatment and 31.5% had no prior treatment attempts. 87% of all patients were offered further treatment options, including interventional, surgical, medical, and conservative measures.

Pediatric salivary gland disorders, especially sialorrhea, can profoundly impact overall health and quality of life. Appropriate management of this symptom requires expert training and knowledge of the upper aerodigestive tract anatomy and appropriate treatment modalities. Our study demonstrates that there is community need for a centralized salivary gland disorder clinic given the complex comorbidities and social challenges that face this population. Many patients present with great risk for aspiration-related complications and the vast majority are offered new treatment options.