Prevalence of geographic tongue, fissured tongue, median rhomboid glossitis, and hairy tongue among 3,611 Minnesota schoolchildren

Abstract

The prevalence of four tongue conditions among 3,611 Minnesota school-children was determined and compared with the results of other surveys which were judged to be free of potentially important biases in sampling. Geographic tongue affected 1.41 per cent of the children. Analysis of this and other surveys indicates that the prevalence of this condition differs in no important respect according to age or sex, although the possibility that it may be significantly greater among the very young (2 to 3 years of age) needs exploration. Fissured tongue affected 1.08 per cent of the children, a somewhat lower prevalence than in other surveys. Age and sex differences were not significant. Three children were affected with both fissured and geographic tongue. Median rhomboid glossitis and hairy tongue were rare, affecting 0.14 and 0.06 per cent of the children, respectively. The occurrence of median rhomboid glossitis in young children is compatible with its supposed developmental etiology. Conversely, the extreme rarity of hairy tongue in ostensibly healthy children is compatible with the concept that it is frequently associated with adverse oral conditions resulting from systemic or oral disease.