John complains of severe pain in the region of his left cheek which seems to increase when he chews on his food. A tense swelling is seen just anterior to his left ear. Which of the following structures do you think is the most likely cause of the problem? 1) submandibular salivary gland2) lingual tonsil3) palatine tonsil4) parotid salivary gland5) sublingual salivary gland

Parotid salivary gland.

Explanation:

John's parotid salivary gland is the major cause of the problem

Parotid salivary gland is the largest of the salivary gland. Parotid salivary gland is found in the mouth, the upper part of the cheek and part of the ear.

This gland help to chew and empty saliva into the mouth.

A viral infection like flu, mumps can cause swelling of the parotid salivary gland.

Other symptoms include ;

Tender , lump cheeks.

Swollen cheeks

Difficulty in opening the mouth and swallowing food.

Pain in the left ear

Fever , chills and general weakness and so on.

Treatment of this depend on the type of infection, drinking hot water with lemon juice can help can help stimulate saliva.