Did
you realize your own tongue can alert you to hidden problems about the rest of
your body’s health? Recognition and
diagnosis of tongue abnormalities require examination of the tongue’s shape, structure,
color and pattern along with a thorough history, including the onset and
duration of the symptoms and the use of tobacco and alcohol. A thorough neck examination, with careful
assessment of the lymph nodes, is essential.
Although routinely
examined during a patient’s semi-annual hygiene examinations, abnormalities of
the tongue can present a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma for dentists.
According
to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the point prevalence
of tongue lesions is 15.5 percent in U.S. adults. Lesion prevalence is
increased in those who wear dentures or use tobacco. The most common tongue
condition is geographic tongue, followed by fissured tongue and hairy tongue.[1] Patients presenting with a tongue lesion or other
abnormal appearance of unclear etiology should be referred to an oral and
maxillofacial surgeon, head and neck surgeon, or a dentist experienced in oral
pathology for further examination and biopsy.
Probably
the best article providing a short synopsis of what to look for in a patient
self-examination is presented in the American Academy of Family Physicians’
article:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/0301/p627.html
Common Tongue Conditions in Primary
Care.
If you haven’t received an oral examination in recent history
we recommend you make an appointment and see your dentist to do so. If we can be of service or answer any of your
questions please feel free to contact us.
Novy Scheinfeld, DDS, PC
290 Carpenter Drive, 200A
Atlanta (Sandy Springs),
GA 30328
404-256-3620
Related articles
- Sandy
Springs Periodontist: What are periodontal diseases? (therightsmile.wordpress.com)
[1] Shulman JD, Beach MM, Rivera-Hidalgo F. The
prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in U.S. adults: data from the Third National
Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994. J Am Dent Assoc.
2004;135(9):1279–1286.
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