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Related Concept Videos

Tongue

Tongue

The human tongue is a fascinating and complex organ, responsible for various essential functions such as swallowing, speech, and taste. It is also subject to various conditions and diseases. In this article, we delve into the anatomy of the tongue, its roles, and some common conditions that can affect it.
Anatomical Position in the Oral Cavity
The tongue is located within the oral cavity, also known as the mouth. It is attached to the floor of the mouth by a fold of mucous membrane called the...

Assessment of the Mouth

Assessment of the Mouth

A thorough mouth assessment, including inspection and palpation of the lips, gums, tongue, tonsils, uvula, and pharynx, is crucial in detecting potential health issues. Diseases ranging from oral cancer to systemic conditions like diabetes could be identified early through careful oral examination. This article provides a detailed guide on conducting a comprehensive mouth assessment.
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.

The Tongue and Taste Buds

The Tongue and Taste Buds

The surface of the tongue is covered with various small bumps called papillae, which either distribute what has been ingested (filiform papillae) or contain the sensory taste (or gustatory) receptor cells (fungiform, circumvallate, and foliate papillae). Embedded within each taste-related papilla are the taste buds—clusters of 30 to 100 gustatory receptor cells.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 14, 2025

Objectification of Tongue Diagnosis in Traditional Medicine, Data Analysis, and Study Application

Objectification of Tongue Diagnosis in Traditional Medicine, Data Analysis, and Study Application

Published on: April 14, 2023

Tongue crack recognition using segmentation based deep learning.

Jianjun Yan¹, Jinxing Cai², Zi Xu²

¹Shanghai Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Detection Technology, East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, China. jjyan@ecust.edu.cn.

Scientific Reports

|January 10, 2023

Summary

A novel deep learning method, Segmentation-Based Deep-Learning (SBDL), accurately extracts and identifies tongue cracks for objective tongue diagnosis. This approach outperforms existing methods, even with limited data.

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Area of Science:

Medical Imaging
Artificial Intelligence
Traditional Chinese Medicine

Background:

Tongue cracks are significant indicators of spleen and stomach health in tongue diagnosis.
Current methods struggle with the accurate extraction of small, complex tongue cracks.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a deep learning model for precise tongue crack extraction and identification.
To enable quantitative description and analysis of tongue crack features.

Main Methods:

Image segmentation using a Segmentation-Based Deep-Learning (SBDL) network.
Data augmentation techniques including noise addition, contrast adjustment, and mirroring.
Training and evaluation against established deep learning models like Mask R-CNN and U-Net.

Main Results:

SBDL demonstrated superior performance in tongue crack extraction and recognition compared to Mask R-CNN, DeeplabV3+, U-Net, UNet++, and SegAN.
The method effectively addresses challenges posed by similar coloration between cracks and tongue coating.
Successful extraction and recognition were achieved even with a small dataset.

Conclusions:

Segmentation-Based Deep-Learning (SBDL) offers a robust solution for objective tongue crack analysis.
This technique provides a new avenue for tongue crack recognition, enhancing diagnostic objectivity.
The SBDL approach holds practical value for advancing objective tongue diagnosis.