Chronic Bacterial Parotitis Mimicking Temporomandibular Disorders: A Case Report

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are the most common causes of non-dental orofacial pain.However, various conditions involving adjacent anatomical structures can mimic TMD symptoms, leading to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.Among these, parotid gland diseases can present with pain in the preauricular and mandibular angle area and functional discomfort similar to TMD.In this case, the patient was initially diagnosed with local myalgia of the masseter muscle because typical signs of bacterial parotitis were absent at the first visit.During follow-up, however, typical signs of bacterial parotitis became apparent, and the patient was subsequently diagnosed with chronic bacterial parotitis.This case highlights the importance of careful differential diagnosis in patients presenting with TMD-like symptoms.