Incidental Finding of Unilateral Parotid Gland Agenesis: A Case Report

Abstract

A 34-year-old male active duty soldier presented to the Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center (DDEAMC) Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic on referral from a local General Dental Clinic for a reported history of temporomandibular joint painful popping and clicking, favoring the right side. As a component of the patient’s outpatient clinical workup, an MRI of the bilateral temporomandibular joints was ordered with an incidental finding noted of partial-to-complete absence of the left parotid gland. The patient completed a conservative therapy regimen and subsequently underwent a non-arthroscopic lysis and lavage of the right temporomandibular joint with resolution of the index symptoms.