Salivary gland tumours account for 3% of all head and neck tumours, 70%-80% of these tumours are located in the parotid glands. Eighty percent of parotid gland tumours are benign. Physical examination is the first diagnostic tool. Ultrasonography, CT and/or MRI are useful tools for correct surgical planning. Fine-needle aspiration cytology is also indicated by some authors. The most-feared postoperative complication is facial nerve palsy, other complications includes infection, haemorrhage and haematoma, aesthetic problems, sensory changes, sialocele and salivary fistulas, Frey’s syndrome, and tumour recurrence. To document our experience on parotid gland surgeries, and the occurrence of the long term postoperative complications and recurrence rate after superficial conservative parotidectomy. Methods: Data of 53patients who underwent superficial conservative parotidectomy at the departments of otorhinolaryngology and general surgery at Al-Hussian Teaching Hospital, Karbala over a 14 year period between 1^st May 2007 to 30^th September 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. All postoperative complications were recorded in follow-up visits at 1 week and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months then the follow-up visits depend on the patient’s needs or appearance of any symptoms or signs of recurrence of previous disease. Fifty-three patients who underwent superficial conservative parotidectomy in this study, the age range was 7 to76 years with a mean age 38.08 years, a standard deviation of ± 15.279; there was a female gender predominance, right side parotid swellings were more common than left side swellings. Most of the cases were benign; pleomorphic adenoma was the most common benign tumour while mucoepidermoid carcinoma was the most common malignant tumour. Complications following surgery occurred in 19 (35.8%) patients: there were two cases of sialocele, four cases of transient facial nerve palsy, four patients with paresthesia of the pinna due to section of the greater auricular nerve; five patients with Frey‘s syndrome. Majority of our patients are still on follow‑up, there have been two cases with recurrence; and three cases of death until writing of this study with a mean follow up of 7.11 (SD 3.76) years. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that superficial conservative paroti­dectomy is a safe procedure, with few com­plications at the long-term. This study was intended to review fourteen year clinical experience at Karbala with parotid neoplasms and parotid surgery. Improvement in surgical skills among surgeons that operate on the parotid gland could reduce the incidence of facial nerve weakness following parotidectomy. Pleomorphic adenomas, followed by Warthin’s tumour are the most frequent benign histological types in our country while mucoepidermoid carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma are the most common malignant parotid tumours.

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