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Updated: Jun 25, 2025

Denver Papillae Protocol for Objective Analysis of Fungiform Papillae
Published on: June 8, 2015
Pigmented fungiform papillae of the tongue
Teresa Lopez-Bernal1, Pedro P García-Montero1, Beatriz Aranegui-Arteaga1
1Departamento de Dermatología, Hospital Universitario Infanta Cristina, Parla, Madrid, España.
Introduction:
Pigmented fungiform papillae of the tongue is a benign condition frequent in dark skin patients. It usually appears in the second or third decade of life, and it has been reported as autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. The diagnosis is clinical, but dermoscopy could be helpful: a classical rose petal pattern is observed. The pathogenesis is unknown, and no treatments are effective.
Case Report:
We report a case of a 15-year-old girl with a pigmented fungiform papillae and a compatible dermatoscopy pattern.
Conclusions:
Knowing the existence of this entity and its characteristic dermoscopy, avoids additional invasive medical test. We have to know this entity because it is a variant of normality.
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