Necrotizing Sialometaplasia: A Diagnostic Challenge to Oral Physicians

Necrotizing sialometaplasia is a rare, reactive, self-limiting disorder affecting a minor salivary gland that clinically mimics malignancy. Chronic smoking, alcohol use, trauma to the hard palate caused by local anesthetic injection due to the vasoconstrictive action of adrenaline in local anesthetic, topical application of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like flurbiprofen spray used in bronchial asthma, oral intubation procedures for general anesthesia, ill-fitting dentures, bulimia nervosa, and minor salivary gland tumors are some of the contributing factors linked to its development. In this article, we discuss a rare, reactive, self-limiting condition affecting minor salivary gland, necrotizing sialometaplasia that occurred on the right posterolateral hard palate region in a 57-year-old male chronic smoker, diagnosed by oral medicine specialist by clinical findings and radiological evaluation by cone beam computed tomography that healed rapidly in three days by itself without any treatment, that prevented unwanted biopsy or surgery.