- Prevalence as a normal Tongue variant in 10 to 20% of adults
- Inherited Tongue fissuring increases with age
- Normal benign Tongue variation increases with age
- May be caused by Xerostomia
- Often asymptomatic
- Symptoms when they occur are typically related to food trapping in fissures
- Halitosis
- Altered Tongue coloration
- Down Syndrome
- Sjogren Syndrome
- Psoriasis
- Geographic Tongue
- Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome (rare)
- Triad of Fissured Tongue, relapsing Facial Edema, Facial Nerve Palsy
- Treat underlying causes (esp. Xerostomia)
- Removal of trapped debris
- Stroke Tongue 15x with Tooth Brush after meals, bedtime
- Oral irrigation
- Food debris accumulates in crevices and can irritate