Tongue

Fissured Tongue

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Fissured Tongue, Dorsal Fissuring of Tongue, Congenital Furrows of Tongue, Scrotal Tongue

  • Epidemiology
  1. Inherited Tongue fissuring increases with age
  • Pathophysiology
  1. Normal benign Tongue variation increases with age
  2. May be caused by Xerostomia
  • Symptoms (related to food trapping in fissures)
  1. Halitosis
  2. Altered Tongue coloration
  • Signs
  • Deep fissures, grooves and folds of Tongue
  1. Deep median sulcus
  2. Deep transverse furrows across Tongue dorsum
  • Associated Conditions
  1. Down Syndrome
  2. Sjogren Syndrome
  3. Geographic Tongue
  4. Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome (rare)
    1. Triad of Fissured Tongue, relapsing Facial Edema, Facial Nerve Palsy
  • Differential Diagnosis
  1. Syphilitic Glossitis causes longitudinal Tongue furrows
  • Management
  1. Treat underlying causes (esp. Xerostomia)
  2. Stroke Tongue 15x with Tooth Brush after meals, bedtime
  • Complications
  1. Food debris accumulates in crevices and can irritate