Prevalence of structural and functional abnormalities of tongue: A hospital based observational study

The tongue is a prominent muscular organ of the oral cavity which plays a vital role in speech, mastication and digestion. Tongue changes can reflect the oral and overall health status of an individual. Oral cavity, being the portal of entry to various infectious and carcinogenic agents, mucosa of the tongue is easily exposed to pathologic changes as well. The changes in the colour, texture, size, shape, appearance and function of the tongue can indicate the various diseases affecting the body. Conditions affecting the tongue can range from developmental aetiology to neoplastic involvement.1,2 These changes can be either due to local factors like trauma, contact allergy, neoplasm etc., or it can be the oral manifestation of underlying systemic disorders. At times, tongue manifestation can be the easy and early diagnostic clue for identifying nutritional deficiencies, bacterial and viral diseases or even immune-mediated diseases. Not only the structural abnormalities, the functional abnormalities like taste and movement of the tongue are also reported in a few conditions like oral submucous fibrosis, malignancies affecting the base of the tongue or neuromuscular disorders. Unless symptomatic, these tongue abnormalities often go unnoticed. Detailed tongue examination is a crucial aspect of oral examination that dentists often overlook unless the patient reports any symptoms.2 Our study intends to assess the prevalence of structural and functional abnormalities of the tongue in patients visiting our hospital and its possible correlation with the patient’s medical status and symptoms reported. This study will also help understand the symptomatic and asymptomatic significant tongue abnormalities commonly seen in our patients. None of the Indian studies have so far checked both the structural and functional abnormalities of tongue in detail to best of our knowledge.