Tongue Sarcoidosis: A Rare Case Report and Review of the Literature

This study presents a case report with a literature review describing a rare manifestation of oral sarcoidosis involving the tongue in a 57-year-old woman with a prior diagnosis of cutaneous sarcoidosis. The lesion appeared as painless grayish-white papules on the tip and dorsal surface of the tongue. A review of the reported cases of tongue sarcoidosis indicates lesions usually occur during the fifth and sixth decades of life, with a marked predominance in females. The most observed signs were swelling and nodules, which commonly affect the tip and dorsal surfaces, in contrast to the usual sites of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Various approaches have been described for managing oral sarcoidosis, ranging from observation without treatment to pharmacological (steroids/immunosuppressive) and surgical interventions. Since in many cases, oral lesions constitute the initial manifestation of sarcoidosis, as well as the wide variety of clinical symptoms and involvement of vital organs/systems (e.g., pulmonary, cardiac, lymph nodes) in the majority of sarcoidosis patients, dentists should regularly examine oral cavity, pay attention to the signs and symptoms of the disease, obtain biopsies of lesions if suspicious, and refer the patient to the relevant specialist.