Morphological Variation in the Shape of Tongue: A Potential Geographical Marker

Abstract

Introduction- The human tongue is of great significance to forensic odontologists. It aids in identification. Studies about variations in the morphological shape of the tongue are extremely rare among pediatric populations. This study aimed to observe the morphological variations in the shape of the tongue among pediatric population of the age group of 10-13 years in Gujarat, India. It also aimed to determine the gender predilection for each type of the shape of the tongue. Research Methods- A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 children (n=400) of the age group of 10-13 years in a dental camp in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Visual examination and evaluation of the shape of the tongue was done individually for all the children followed by digital documentation and statistical analysis in Microsoft Excel 2019. Results- Out of 400 subjects, 200 (50%) were males and 200 (50%) were females. Seven shapes of the tongue were observed that included- acute triangular, obtuse triangular, elliptical, round, rectangular, square and bifid tongue. Gender distribution was observed among all shapes of the tongue. The acute triangular tongue was predominantly found in 114 individuals (28.5%) of the entire study population that showed a female predilection. The non-syndromic bifid tongue was also observed in 48 individuals (12%) of the entire population with a male predilection. Conclusion- Gender distribution in the shapes of the tongue varies in different geographical locations. More such research studies need to be carried out among the pediatric populations of different regions of the world.