Auriculotemporal Syndrome (Frey's Syndrome, Gustatory Sweating) The auriculotemporal syndrome is an unusual phenomenon, which arises as a result of damage to the auriculotemporal nerve and subsequent reinnervation of sweat glands by parasympathetic salivary fibres. Clinical Features The patient typically exhibits flushing and sweating of the involved side of the face, chiefly in the temporal area, during eating. The severity of this sweating may often be increased by tart foods. Of further interest is the fact that profuse sweating may be evoked by the parenteral administration of pilocarpine or eliminated by the administration of atropine or by a procaine block of the auriculotemporal nerve. There is a form of gustatory sweating which occurs in otherwise normal individuals when they are eating certain foods, particularly spicy or sour ones. This consists of diffuse facial sweating, not simply a perioral sweating and may even be on a hereditary basis. Reference: Shafer’s Textbook of ORAL PATHOLOGY Eighth Edition page no 575
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