Objective

Describe the frequency, clinical, and demographic features of minor salivary gland tumors and possible associated factors.

Materials and methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted. Clinical and demographic data were collected from biopsy records of two oral pathology services. Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and descriptive statistical analysis were performed.

Results

A total of 480 (0.89%) minor salivary gland tumors were retrieved; 272 (56.7%) benign and 147 (30.7%) malignant. Sixty-one (12.6%) had no subtype specification. Most patients were female (307/64.0%), in sixth decade of life (80/16.7%), with a mean age of 45.32 years. Palate was the most common site (336/70.1%). Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) (245/51.1%), mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) (70/14.6%), and adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) (43/8.9%) were the most frequent tumors. Symptomatic case, recurrence, and tobacco use were associated with malignancy (p<0.05). PA and MEC were more frequent in palate (p<0.05). No association between the three most frequent histological types and gender or age group was observed (p>0.05).

Conclusion

This represents one of the largest exclusively series of minor salivary gland tumors in Brazil and worldwide. PA, MEC, and ACC were the most frequent tumors. Clinical and demographic data are similar from Brazilian studies or from other countries.