Fissured, hairy, and geographic tongue

Overview 
Theory 
Diagnosis 
Management 
Follow up 
Resources 

Case history #1

Fissured tongue: a 30-year-old healthy man presents with increased furrows on his tongue. These are asymptomatic. He does not complain of any burning or increased sensitivity to hot or cold foods.

Case history #2

Hairy tongue: a 45-year-old smoker presents to clinic as he has noted brown "hair-like" growths on his tongue while brushing his teeth. He does not report any bleeding from the tongue when he tries to scrape off these brown hairy projections in the middle of his tongue.

Other presentations

Fissured tongue is usually a normal variant of tongue appearance and is not considered a pathological entity.[4] It may also be a feature of orofacial granulomatosis, but this condition is rare.[5]

Geographic tongue is a common benign condition. Patients may report that their tongues are red and white in different areas, and the areas seem to change shape and site of involvement. They may also report increased sensitivity to hot and spicy foods. Rarely, similar presentations may occur elsewhere in the mouth and may be referred to as geographic stomatitis or ectopic geographic tongue.[3]

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