Tongue

Fissured Tongue

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Fissured Tongue, Dorsal Fissuring of Tongue, Congenital Furrows of Tongue, Scrotal Tongue, Lingua Plicata, Furrowed Tongue

  • See Also
  1. Tongue Disorder
  2. Tongue Mass
  • Epidemiology
  1. Prevalence as a normal Tongue variant in 10 to 20% of adults
  2. Inherited Tongue fissuring increases with age
  • Pathophysiology
  1. Normal benign Tongue variation increases with age
  2. May be caused by Xerostomia
  • Symptoms
  1. Often asymptomatic
  2. Symptoms when they occur are typically related to food trapping in fissures
    1. Halitosis
    2. Altered Tongue coloration
  • Signs
  1. 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. Psoriasis
  4. Geographic Tongue
  5. 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. Removal of trapped debris
    1. Stroke Tongue 15x with Tooth Brush after meals, bedtime
    2. Oral irrigation
  • Complications
  1. Food debris accumulates in crevices and can irritate
  • See Also
  1. Straub (2024) Am Fam Physician 110(5): 467-75 [PubMed]