Abstract
Foreign bodies in the oral and maxillofacial region frequently result from trauma and dental treatment. We describe a foreign body, suspected to be a fish bone, in the submandibular gland. A 63-yearold man had a swelling in the left submandibular region. Computed tomography revealed a radiopaque spot, 1mm in diameter, in the gland. Removal of the submandibular gland was performed. The swelling was found to be a foreign body, not a salivary calculus. The foreign body measured 16×1mm and resembled a needle. How this foreign body entered the submandibular gland was unclear. The clinical course suggested that the foreign body had penetrated into the submandibular gland through the oral mucosa.
