Abstract
Background: Tongue examination helps considerably in diagnosing the underlying health state of the patient, especially in the cases of chronic diseases. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and association of tongue lesions with risk factors among Yemeni dental patients. Materials and methods: An oral medicine specialist examined all 713 patients attending the dental polyclinics at the University of Sciences and Technology (Sana’a, Yemen). The examination sheet was designed to include information related to patient characteristics, medical history, dental history, habits, and tongue lesions. Results: The prevalence of tongue lesions among the examined participants was 76.5%. The prevalence rate was 83.4% for males and 69.2% for females. Fissured tongue was the most common condition. Logistic regression analysis indicated that older age (p<0.001), gender (p=0.007), khat chewing (p<0.001), and smoking (p=0.001) were associated with fissured tongue; gender (p<0.001), khat chewing (p<0.001), and smoking (p<0.001) were associated with hairy tongue; and older age (p<0.001), khat chewing (p=0.001), and smoking (p=.021) were associated with coated tongue. Conclusion: The prevalence of tongue lesions among this sample of Yemeni population was 76.5%; fissured tongue and hairy tongue were the most prevalent lesions. Khat chewing, smoking, and older age were the associated risk factors for many of studied lesions and anomalies.
Highlights
The human tongue is considered a highly muscular complex organ anatomically located in the oropharynx, it is considered as the strongest muscular organ in the body with extremely dense and complex innervation.[1,2,3,4] The tongue is covered by specialized epithelium and is involved in important functions including general sensations, taste, speaking, chewing, swallowing, suckling, and plays a role in jaw development.[1,5] Tongue examination helps considerably in diagnosing the un derlying health state of the patient, especially in the context of chronic diseases.[6]
The prevalence of khat chewing and smoking was higher in males than in females: 64.9% versus 32.8%, p
The prevalence of hairy tongue decreased with age (p
Summary
The human tongue is considered a highly muscular complex organ anatomically located in the oropharynx, it is considered as the strongest muscular organ in the body with extremely dense and complex innervation.[1,2,3,4] The tongue is covered by specialized epithelium and is involved in important functions including general sensations, taste, speaking, chewing, swallowing, suckling, and plays a role in jaw development.[1,5] Tongue examination helps considerably in diagnosing the un derlying health state of the patient, especially in the context of chronic diseases.[6] It has been considered a good indicator of systemic diseases. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and association of tongue lesions with risk factors among Yemeni dental patients. Khat chewing, smoking, and older age were the associated risk factors for many of studied lesions and anomalies
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
