Although several hypotheses have been proposed for the formation of salivary calculi, such as the inflammation theory, the microbiologic theory, and the foreign-body theory, there have been few case reports of sialoliths in which the etiology is clear. Recently, we encountered an interesting case of a salivary calculus in the submandibular gland duct formed around a hair.
A 71-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of painful swelling of the left submandibular region. Radiographic examination revealed a radiopaque spot in the gland. The clinical diagnosis was sialolithiasis of a submandibular gland duct, and the calculus was surgically removed. The patient made an uneventful recovery.
Histopathological examination revealed that the removed calculus was formed around the nucleus of a hair.
