Características anatómicas y funcionales de la glándula parótida. Una revision de la literatura.

Abstract

Objective: the aim of this review was to analyse the existing literature and to know exactly the anatomical, histological, and physiological characteristics of the parotid gland. Materials and methods: for this review a search was made in electronic bases such as: Embase, Latin America and the Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS), LIVIVO, PubMed (including Medline), Ovid, Science Direct, Scopus and Cochrane Library, with publication year from 2014 to 2020. Results: 1373 articles were identified, of which after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 were included in the analysis. Conclusions: the parotid gland contributes with 45% of saliva, which intervenes in essential functions such as: digestion, lubrication and protection of tissues in the oral cavity; therefore, it is important to know it, which facilitates the recognition of symptoms or signs related to the dysfunction of this gland