A cross-sectional study of tongue disorders among dental outpatients

The tongue is a complex organ that can provide insight into oral and systemic conditions. A variety of disorders, such as geographic tongue, hairy tongue, fissured tongue, macroglossia, microglossia, and others, can be observed. The objective of this cross-sectional study, conducted on a cohort of dental patients, was to examine the prevalence of tongue disorders and their relationship with factors such as demographic data, oral hygiene practices, history of systemic diseases, and bad habits.

The tongues of 772 dental outpatients, comprising 355 males and 417 females, were examined in detail, and the factors associated with tongue disorders were noted.

The prevalence of tongue disorders was 32.6 %. The remaining tongue disorders were as follows: fissured tongue (12.1 %), macroglossia (7.1 %), geographic tongue (3.4 %), hairy tongue (3.6 %), coated tongue (3.4 %), median rhomboid glossitis (0.5 %), ankyloglossia (0.4 %), glossitis (0.4 %), and microglossia (0.1 %). The most prevalent tongue disorder observed in the study cohort was fissured tongue, while both bifid tongue and idiopathic burning tongue syndrome were absent. The prevalence of macroglossia, fissured tongue, and hairy tongue was significantly higher in males than in females (p < 0.05, p < 0.05, p < 0.05, p < 0.005, respectively). A statistically significant difference was observed in the frequency of macroglossia, furred tongue, hairy tongue, and glossitis between age groups.

The findings of this study identified the most common tongue disorders and their relationship with factors such as systemic history, demographic factors, oral hygiene care, bad habits, and systemic diseases. The significance of tongue appearance in providing insight into the systemic and oral condition of the patient has once again been demonstrated.