Tuberculosis, a chronic infectious granulomatous disease, is presumed to be quite a rare entity. Because of the development of chemotherapy and the improvement of nutritional conditions, incidence of tuberculosis have reduced. For these reasons, tuberculosis may be overlooked in the differential diagnosis whenever dealing with a submandibular swelling. Diagnosis of tuberculous lymphadenitis consists of historical data, physical findings, laboratory tests and histologic examination. The treatment of choice seems to be surgical excision and long term antituberculosis chemotherapy. Surgery provides a rapid tissue diagnosis, because the histological examination of the excisional biopsy is the most reliable diagnostic test. This is the report of a case of tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis on left submandibular area with no evidence of the involvement of lung.