Tongue disease

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Tongue diseases can be congenital or acquired.

The condition of the tongue provide information about many other conditions, as in strawberry tongue.

Assessment of the tongue has historically been an important part of a medical examination.^[1]

Examples include:

• White tongue: White spots and patches or coating of the tongue are a symptom of several medical conditions:
  • Antibiotics side effect
  • Oral candidiasis
  • Dehydration
  • Leukoplakia
  • Keratosis pharyngis
  • Jaundice – causes a yellow tongue
  • “Lie Bumps” – small dots usually on tip of tongue

• Glossitis (tongue inflammation)
• Hypoglossia – congenitally short tongue
• Macroglossia

The tongue is examined and observed diagnostically in traditional Chinese medicine. A painful tongue may be an indication of several underlying serious medical conditions^[2]

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