Radiation therapy is extensively used in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Radiation therapy works by exploiting a survival differential between malignant cells and normal cells. Simply stated, the malignant cells are more likely to die with radiation when compared to normal non-malignant cells. However, not all normal cells respond equally and some normal tissues have marked sensitivity to radiation damage. Salivary glands are one such radiosensitive tissue that is permanently destroyed with external-beam radiotherapy.