Some local and systemic factors related to tongue inflammation

As part of a larger study aimed at surveying the clinical, histological and immunohistochemical features of filiform atrophy and geographic and fissured tongue, this work presents the clinical findings of three patient groups and controls. 200 individuals were examined; 18 (9%) had atrophic tongue, 15 (7.5%) geographic tongue and 53 (26.5%) fissured tongue; further, 12 (6%) had hyperkeratotic lesions of the tongue and 102 (51%) subjects had no tongue lesions. According to the anamnestic information, patients with atrophic or geographic tongue seemed to have a stronger tendency toward allergy than subjects in other groups, while patients with atrophic tongue had more abnormalities of the heart and circulatory system. These tongue forms did not show any association with smoking or drinking habits, but hyperkeratotic lesions (leukoplakia, lichen planus, hairy tongue) of the tongue were clearly associated with moderate and heavy smoking. Atrophic, geographic and fissured tongue seem to be specific changes of the lingual mucosa; patients with these changes did not have more changes elsewhere on the oral mucosa than the controls. Patients with atrophic tongue had lowered rates of saliva secretion. Histologically, heavy inflammation was noted in fissured tongue. In geographic tongue, inflammation was moderate and in atrophic tongue often only mild. Each tongue form seems to have its own typical histological morphology.