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Saliva on a baby's lips. Saliva (commonly referred to as spit or drool) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth.In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which DNA can be extracted), enzymes (such as lipase and amylase), and antimicrobial agents (such as secretory IgA, and lysozymes).
Drooling can be caused by excess production of saliva, inability to retain saliva within the mouth (incontinence of saliva), or problems with swallowing (dysphagia or odynophagia). There are some frequent and harmless cases of drooling – for instance, a numbed mouth from either benzocaine , or when going to the dentist's office.
Hypersalivation can contribute to drooling if there is an inability to keep the mouth closed or difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia) the excess saliva, which can lead to excessive spitting. Hypersalivation also often precedes emesis (vomiting), where it accompanies nausea (a feeling of needing to vomit).
Gongylonema pulchrum was first named and presented with its own species by Molin in 1857. The first reported case was in 1850 by Dr. Joseph Leidy, when he identified a worm "obtained from the mouth of a child" from the Philadelphia Academy (however, an earlier case may have been treated in patient Elizabeth Livingstone in the seventeenth century [2]).
There are also about 800–1,000 minor salivary glands in the mucosa of the mouth. The parotid glands are in front of the ears, one on side, and secrete mostly serous saliva, via the parotid ducts (Stenson ducts), into the mouth, usually opening roughly opposite the second upper molars.
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Minor trauma to the floor of the mouth is thought to damage the delicate ducts that drain saliva from the sublingual gland into the oral cavity. [2] The lesion is a mucous extravasation cyst (mucocele) of the floor of mouth, although a ranula is often larger than other mucoceles (mainly because the overlying mucosa is thicker). [3]
Transient lingual papillitis is generally diagnosed based on patient presentation, meaning where it is located in the mouth and how big the bump is. [8] The visual presentation can also accompany various signs and symptoms such as difficulty eating, having a "strawberry tongue", increased saliva production, and a burning or tingling sensation. [9]