Tongue morphometry: Evaluation of morphological variations in ethnic Tamil population

Abstract

Introduction: Tongue is a vital organ well encased with in the oral cavity, morphological features of which are unique and differs from one individual to other. Visual inspection of the tongue is a noninvasive and inexpensive method to evaluate the morphological variations. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the morphological variations of tongue in male and female in ethnic Tamil population. Objective: The objective is to study the morphological features such as shape, length, and width of the tongue, presence and location of fissure pattern and its gender variations by visual examination method in ethnic Tamil population between age 21 and 30 years. Materials and Methods: The study sample included 250 male and 250 female (21–30 years). The participants were subjected to visual examination and by obtaining a digital photograph of the tongue on maximum protrusion to study the morphological variation like shape of the tongue, presence and location of fissure. Results: The mean for width of the tongue was 3.599. The length of the tongue had a mean value of 4.283. On analyzing the shape of the tongue, U shape was more common in both male (68%) and female (62%) and V shape is common in female (38%). In female, the most common is absent or no fissures whereas in male central fissure was most common. Conclusion: Tongue showed significant morphological variations in male and female. Visual examination of tongue is a simple and inexpensive way to collect data and can be saved along with other dental records. Tongue prints being unique can serve as both a biometric and forensic tool.