Tongue Tip Research Articles

First report of oral angiokeratoma in a xeroderma pigmentosum.

Introduction and importanceXeroderma pigmentosum is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder with impaired ability to repair DNA damage. Detection of the intraoral benign and malignant lesion in Xeroderma pigmentosum is uncommon, and the reported few cases were in the lip and tip of the tongue which are related to ultraviolet light exposure.Case presentationWe present a case of 20 years old male with erythematous to violet, painless and shiny papule at the right side of the tongue. The lesion was surgically excised while the histopathological examination of the lesion showed focally eroded and hyperplastic stratified squamous epithelial covering with underlying capillary sized blood vessel filled with RBCs and lined by endothelium with no atypia or malignancy.Clinical discussionOral angiokeratoma is a rare disease in patient with Xeroderma pigmentosum that should be early detected and diagnosed to decrease the liability for malignant transformation.ConclusionHealth case workers should be aware of the nature of the disease, protection of the patient from ultraviolet light as well as Frequent follow up of the patients for a better quality of life.

Foreign Language Training to Stimulate Cognitive Functions.

Adult development throughout a lifetime implies a series of changes in systems, including cognitive and linguistic functioning. The aim of this article is to study the effect of foreign language training on linguistic processing, particularly the frequency of the tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenon and on other cognitive processes such as processing speed and working memory in adults aged 40 to 60 years. Sixty-six healthy Colombian teachers were enrolled in this study. They were then randomly divided into an experimental group (33 healthy adults who underwent a four-week training period) and a passive control group (33 healthy adults who did not undergo any training). All participants performed induction tasks for the TOT phenomenon, working memory and processing speed before and after the four weeks. Results showed more of an effect in the semantic access, phonological access and processing speed measures with a better performance in the experimental group than in the control group. In Colombia, this type of training is still new and little is known to date about programs to prevent cognitive impairments. The need to conduct more studies confirming or refuting these findings is discussed, thus raising awareness about the extent of this type of training to increase the linguistic and cognitive performance of adults.

A robust tongue shape model from ultrasound recordings of normal and impaired speech

Ultrasound imaging is a helpful tool to observe tongue movements without interfering with natural speech. There exist a variety of models to quantify tongue shape based on contours extracted from ultrasound images. However, these can be affected by poor image quality, e.g., when parts of the tongue are missing from the images due to imaging artifacts. In this study, we investigate the effects of various contour extraction errors on the accuracy and consistency of different shape measures. We developed exponential and polynomial contour perturbation models, then simulated missing tongue tip and root, and investigated the impact of these perturbations on shape measures based on the discrete Fourier transform (DFT), modified curvature index (MCI), and triangular fitting. This was applied to a set of CV utterances collected from healthy and impaired speakers. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of DFT and triangular fitting in clustering different phonemes despite the added noise. A high degree of correlation was found between the DFT coefficients of the perturbed and original tongue contours. There is also a trade-off between the robustness of the model and sensitivity to minor actual differences in tongue shape. Sometimes, these slight differences help group tongue shapes that differ, e.g., due to coarticulation effects. Therefore, we have attempted to improve the precision of the DFT model by adding palatal contact information.

A Clinical Study Investigating Whether the Tongue-Out Position Improves the Quality of the Anatomical Appearance of the Pharynx on CT Imaging.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of using the tongue-out position on the quality of the anatomical appearance of the pharynx on computed tomography (CT) images.Methods: The data from enhanced CT thin-section images of the head and neck in 119 cases scanned were retrospectively analyzed. The cases were divided into two groups based on the position of the tip of the tongue on the images: the tongue-out group (63 cases) and non-tongue-out group (56 cases). Two observers separately evaluated the anatomy of the soft palate, uvula, palatine tonsils, epiglottis, epiglottic fossa, pyriform fossa, arytenoid folds, and tongue on all images. The Kappa test was applied to assess the consistency of scores between the two observers. In the case of data that satisfied the normal distribution, the significance of the difference in the average scores between the two groups was tested using an independent samples t-test with a value of p > 0.05. In the case of data that did not satisfy the normal distribution, the Mann–Whitney U test was adopted to test the significance of the difference in the average scores between the two groups using a value of p < 0.05. The number of cases with swallowing artifacts on the CT images in both groups was statistically analyzed and the chi-square test was used to determine whether the difference in the incidence of artifacts between the two groups was significant.Results: The Kappa test showed good consistency between the two observers scoring of the soft palate, uvula, epiglottis, epiglottic fossa, pyriform fossa, aryepiglottic folds, and tongue. The image scores of the soft palate, uvula, epiglottis, epiglottic fossa, and tongue in the tongue-out group vs. the non-tongue-out group did not satisfy the normal distribution. The Mann–Whitney U test showed that the differences in the image scores between the two groups were statistically significant in all cases (p < 0.05). The incidence of swallowing artifacts in the tongue-out group and the non-tongue-out group was 15 and 32%, respectively. The result of the chi-square test showed that the difference in the incidence of swallowing artifacts between the two groups was statistically significant (p = 0.037).Conclusion: The tongue-out position facilitated an improvement in the CT appearance of pharyngeal anatomy and was associated with a reduction in the incidence of swallowing artifacts.

The Tongue in Three Species of Lemurs: Flower and Nectar Feeding Adaptations.

Simple SummaryComparative studies of primate gustatory anatomy are sparse and incomplete. Here, we compare both the macro and micro anatomy of the tongue in three lemurid species. We included two non-destructive nectar-feeders, Varecia variegata and Eulemur macaco, and one destructive flower feeder, Lemur catta. To study the tongue’s structure, we used direct observation together with different microscopy techniques, ranging from optical microscopy to electronic microscopy. We found differences in the size, shape, and distribution of the tongue’s papillae. Most notably, there are large distinct papillae present at the tip of the tongue in nectar-feeding species. In addition, histological images of the ventro-apical portion of the tongue show that tongue houses an encapsulated structure in all species studied. The non-destructive flower-feeding species share similar tongue and sublingua anatomy, suggesting that the observed features may be adaptive for flower feeding. These features were not observed in the destructive flower feeder, Lemur catta.The mobility of the primate tongue allows for the manipulation of food, but, in addition, houses both general sensory afferents and special sensory end organs. Taste buds can be found across the tongue, but the ones found within the fungiform papillae on the anterior two thirds of the tongue are the first gustatory structures to come into contact with food, and are critical in making food ingestion decisions. Comparative studies of both the macro and micro anatomy in primates are sparse and incomplete, yet there is evidence that gustatory adaptation exists in several primate taxa. One is the distally feathered tongues observed in non-destructive nectar feeders, such as Eulemur rubriventer. We compare both the macro and micro anatomy of three lemurid species who died of natural causes in captivity. We included the following two non-destructive nectar feeders: Varecia variegata and Eulemur macaco, and the following destructive flower feeder: Lemur catta. Strepsirrhines and tarsiers are unique among primates, because they possess a sublingua, which is an anatomical structure that is located below the tongue. We include a microanatomical description of both the tongue and sublingua, which were accomplished using hematoxylin–eosin and Masson trichrome stains, and scanning electron microscopy. We found differences in the size, shape, and distribution of fungiform papillae, and differences in the morphology of conical papillae surrounding the circumvallate ones in all three species. Most notably, large distinct papillae were present at the tip of the tongue in nectar-feeding species. In addition, histological images of the ventro-apical portion of the tongue displayed that it houses an encapsulated structure, but only in Lemur catta case such structure presents cartilage inside. The presence of an encapsulated structure, coupled with the shared morphological traits associated with the sublingua and the tongue tip in Varecia variegata and Eulemur macaco, point to possible feeding adaptations that facilitate non-destructive flower feeding in these two lemurids.

Histological, and Histochemical Studies on the Tongue of Domestic Turkey (Meleagris Gallopavo)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the micromorphological features of the tongue of domestic turkey (Meleagris Gallopavo). The tongue was studied by means of histological and histochemical methods to elucidate its micromorphological features. Six adult male domestic turkeys were used in this study. Samples from the tip, body and root portions of the tongue were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin. Stained sections with H&E revealed that the lingual mucosal lining is stratified squamous epithelium keratinized thicker in the dorsal surface than that of the ventral surface throughout the length of the tongue. The core of the tongue had a special lingual structure varied along the length of the tongue started at the apex as hyaline cartilage and changed in the body into fibrocartilage and continued caudally as spongy bone. By Alcian blue pH 2.5 the lingual salivary glands gave a strong reaction and appeared as clusters at the level of the body

A-178 Might Tip-of-the-Tongue Responses on the Auditory and Visual Naming Test be a Useful Embedded Performance Validity Measure in the Language Domain?

Abstract Objective This study examined whether responses on the Auditory and Visual Naming Test (ANT/VNT) would discriminate between veterans with invalid and valid test performance, thus suggesting a novel embedded performance validity test (PVT) for a language task. Method Veterans who completed the ANT/VNT and failed two or more PVTs were selected for inclusion, resulting in a sample of 9 veterans (8 males; Mage = 55.8, SD = 11.5; Medu = 12.7, SD = 2.1). An age-and education-matched group of 9 cognitively unimpaired veterans who passed PVTs (7 males; Mage = 56.1, SD = 11.5; Medu = 14.0, SD = 2.4) were selected from a database of patients from the same clinical setting. Variables of interest included tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) responses (responses with a latency between 2 and 20 seconds) and Total Correct responses for the ANT/VNT. Results Groups were comparable on demographic characteristics and there were no statistical differences in Total Correct responses on ANT/VNT. The invalid group had more TOT on both the visual (M = 4.2, SD = 3.8) and auditory (M = 14.4,SD = 9.7) tasks, as compared to the valid group (Mvisual = 0.7, SD = 0.7; Mauditory = 4.9,SD = 2.7). ROC curve analysis for detecting invalid performance was significant for both VNT-TOT (AUC = 0.79, p = 0.038) and ANT-TOT (AUC = 0.88, p = 0.006). A cutoff of 1 was optimal for VNT-TOT (sensitivity = 0.67, specificity = 0.89), while 6 was optimal for ANT-TOT (sensitivity = 0.89, specificity = 0.89). Conclusions Despite the small sample size, findings are promising regarding the utility of ANT/VNT TOT responses as embedded PVTs. These should be further explored since the field is in need of validity measures embedded within language/naming tasks. Visual Naming Test may be particularly useful given that it can take less than 5 minutes to administer.

Functional Outcomes with Facial Artery Musculo-Mucosal (FAMM) Flap and Dental Implants for Reconstruction of Floor of the Mouth and Tongue Defects in Oncologic Patients.

Optimal functional outcomes in oncologic patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) of the tongue and floor of the mouth require good lingual mobility, adequate facial competence, the cheek suction effect and dental rehabilitation with osseointegrated implants. In this study, twenty-two oncologic patients who had been diagnosed with intraoral SCCA affecting the tongue and the floor of the mouth and who had undergone wide resection of the tumor and immediate reconstruction with an inferiorly pedicled FAMM flap and immediate osseointegrated implants were assessed. Lingual mobility, speech articulation, deglutition, implant success rate, mouth opening, and aesthetic results were evaluated. All patients were staged as T2 and the defect size ranged from 3.7 × 2.1 cm to 6.3 × 4.2 cm. A selective neck dissection was performed in all patients as part of their oncologic treatment, either electively or for node positive disease. Thirteen patients (59%) were diagnosed with node positive disease and underwent adjuvant radiotherapy. A total of 101 osseointegrated implants were placed for prosthetic rehabilitation and 8 implants were lost (7.9%), of which 7 received radiotherapy (87.5%). The implant success rate was 92.1%. Mouth opening was reported as normal in 19 patients (86.3%). Tongue tip elevation was reported as excellent in 19 patients (86.3%) and good in 3 patients (13.6%). Lingual protrusion was referred to as excellent in 15 patients (68.2%) and good in 6 patients (27.2%). Lateral excursion was reported as excellent in 14 patients (63.6%) and good in 7 patients (31.8%). In terms of speech articulation, 20 patients reported normal speech (90.9%). Regarding deglutition, 19 patients (86.3%) reported a regular diet while a soft diet was reported by 3 patients (13.7%). Aesthetic results were referred to as excellent in 17 patients (77.3%). FAMM flaps, immediate implants and fixed prostheses enable the functional rehabilitation of oncologic patients, optimizing aesthetics and functional outcomes even in patients undergoing irradiation, thus returning oncologic patients to an excellent quality of life.

A bionic soft tongue driven by shape memory alloy and pneumatics

Soft grippers have exhibited considerable advantages owing to their flexible deformation, compliant operation, and safe interaction with objects. The ability to grip solid and liquid objects can greatly expand the application range of the soft grippers. Dogs stick out their tongues and then curl them backward to form a ladle shape for eating food and drinking water. The large extension ratio and the ladling motion of the tongues endow dogs with flexible operations for both solids and liquids. In this work, inspired by both the extending and ladling motions of dog tongues, a bionic soft tongue with the capability of handling solid and liquid objects was designed. The bionic soft tongue was composed of a tongue base and a tongue tip, which were driven by pneumatics and shape memory alloy wires, respectively. The tongue base was capable of linearly elongating and contracting with a considerable scale, while the tongue tip could be curled into a ladle shape to grasp objects. The dynamic model of the tongue base was developed and then extended to build the model-based feedback controller for the motion control. A phase dynamic model of the tongue tip was simulated for structural optimization. With the model-based feedback controller, the bionic soft tongue could achieve a fast step response and precise position control. Experimental results showed that the bionic soft tongue could grasp different kinds of objects, including of water, rice, and gel balls. This work is expected to expand the application scope of soft grippers.

An ulcerated nodule on the tip of the tongue of a patient with skin lesions

A 66-year-old male patient was referred with a chief complaint of an asymptomatic ulcerated nodule on the tongue with 2 months of evolution. The patient’s medical history included hypertension; multiple basal cell carcinomas on the skin, which were surgically treated; and prostate cancer, which was still being treated with radiotherapy. The patient also reported the use of antiandrogens. Information on tobacco or alcohol consumption was not elicited. Extraoral examination revealed facial lesions characterized by areas of hypo- and hyperpigmentation of the skin, actinic lentigines, actinic keratosis, and actinic cheilitis (Figure 1A-1D).

Capillary hemangioma on the tip of the tongue

Hamangioma is a benign, local malformation of blood vessels and grow along with the same rate as the adjacent tissues, they do not invade underlying structures but may involute over a period of time resulting in fine telangiectasia or scarring. Haemangioma can occur anywhere in the body and also in the oral cavity. In tongue they may get ruptured and result in spontaneous bleeding [1].

Significant sensors and parameters in assessment of dysarthric speech

PurposeDysarthria is a neuromotor speech disorder caused by neuromuscular disturbances that affect one or more articulators resulting in unintelligible speech. Though inter-phoneme articulatory variations are well captured by formant frequency-based acoustic features, these variations are expected to be much higher for dysarthric speakers than normal. These substantial variations can be well captured by placing sensors in appropriate articulatory position. This study focuses to determine a set of articulatory sensors and parameters in order to assess articulatory dysfunctions in dysarthric speech.Design/methodology/approachThe current work aims to determine significant sensors and parameters associated using motion path and correlation analyzes on the TORGO database of dysarthric speech. Among eight informative sensor channels and six parameters per channel in positional data, the sensors such as tongue middle, back and tip, lower and upper lips and parameters (y, z, φ) are found to contribute significantly toward capturing the articulatory information. Acoustic and positional data analyzes are performed to validate these identified significant sensors. Furthermore, a convolutional neural network-based classifier is developed for both phone-and word-level classification of dysarthric speech using acoustic and positional data.FindingsThe average phone error rate is observed to be lower, up to 15.54% for positional data when compared with acoustic-only data. Further, word-level classification using a combination of both acoustic and positional information is performed to study that the positional data acquired using significant sensors will boost the performance of classification even for severe dysarthric speakers.Originality/valueThe proposed work shows that the significant sensors and parameters can be used to assess dysfunctions in dysarthric speech effectively. The articulatory sensor data helps in better assessment than the acoustic data even for severe dysarthric speakers.

Socially Shared Feelings of Imminent Recall: More Tip-of-the-Tongue States Are Experienced in Small Groups.

Tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) states are typically defined as feelings of imminent recall for known, but temporarily inaccessible target words. However, TOTs are not merely instances of retrieval failures. Clues that increase the subjective likelihood of retrieval success, such as cue familiarity and target-related information, also have been shown to elicit feelings of imminent recall, supporting a metacognitive, inferential etiology of the TOT phenomenon. A survey conducted on our university campus provided anecdotal evidence that TOTs are occasionally shared among people in small groups. Although shared TOTs may suggest the influence of social contagion, we hypothesized that metacognitive appraisal of group recall efficiency could be involved. There should be more instances of remembering in several heads than in one. From this, we conjectured that people remembering together entertain the inference that successful retrieval is more likely in group recall than in a single-person recall situation. Such a metacognitive appraisal may drive a stronger feeling of closeness with the target word and of recall imminence, precipitating one (or more people) into a TOT state. We used general knowledge questions to elicit TOTs. We found that participants reported more TOTs when remembering in small groups than participants remembering alone. Critically, the experimental manipulation selectively increased TOTs without affecting correct recall, suggesting that additional TOTs observed in small groups were triggered independently from the retrieval process. Near one third (31%) of the TOTs in small groups were reported by two or more participants for the same items. However, removing common TOTs from the analyses did not change the basic pattern of results, suggesting that social contagion was not the main factor involved in the observed effect. We argue that beyond social contagion, group recall magnifies the inference that target words will be successfully retrieved, prompting the metacognitive monitoring system to launch more near-retrieval success “warning” (TOT) signals than in a single-person recall situation.

P-PN013. Charcot-Marie-Tooth with transient leukodystrophy: A case report

Introduction . Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), a chronic hereditary peripheral neuropathy, in some rare cases is associated with transient leukodystrophy, making its diagnosis difficult. Results . A 14-year-old boy, after playing football, had a sudden onset of crisis of stiff, numb jaw and tip of tongue, causing drooling, difficulty swallowing and speaking; this numbness spread to his arms. This crisis lasted for 1 to 2 hours; with the daily frequency of 2-3 attacks, at fixed hours. Sometimes he had incontinence. Diagnosed as having epilepsy, he was admitted. Symptoms self ameliorated 3 days later, then discharged. No symptoms recurrence during 4 months follow-up. Two years before admission, his feet were overturned while walking; he was unable to sit straight and had to raise his buttocks. Family history was unremarkable. Neurology examination: Normal sensory function, slight distal weakness of feet, absent tendon reflexes, no pyramid signs, no bladder sphincter disorder. He had pes cavus, and he said he had this deformity for 3 years. Laboratory tests and imaging diagnosis: Normal CBC, CRP, ionogram, glycemia, CPK, and CSF, chest X-ray, and cardiac ultrasound. Brain MRI showed high T2–weighted signal in splenium area of corpus callosum, in white matter behind bilateral centrum ovale, parietal, and occipital regions. These lesions improved on follow-up brain MRI performed 2 months later. Electrodiagnostic studies (EDx) highlighted sensorimotor polyneuropathy, with low SNAP and CMAP of upper and lower limbs. Needle test showed fibrillation, MUP polyphases. Gene panel (Diagsure) for typing CMT shows a homozygous missence mutation (c589 G>C, p.Ala197Pro) in the GJB1 gene of chromosome X. This mutation related to Charcot-Mare-Tooth, has not been reported in ClinVar. Conclusion . Based on history, clinical symptoms, EMG, and gene panel, this is a typical case of CMT1X causing peripheral symptoms and signs. Though transient central symptoms might cause confusion, typing of CMT1X supported transient leucodystrophy.

KARAKTERISTIK LAGU-LAGU KEBANGSAAN ARAB: ANALISIS FONOLOGI

This study aims to determine the phonetic characteristics of the Arabic national anthems. The object of this research is the national anthems of three countries, namely Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco. This research used a linguistic-phonetic approach. Data analysis used quantitative descriptive analysis. The results described that there were differences in vowel and consonant characteristics between the national anthems of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco. Based on the number, the comparison in the national anthems of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco was 84:156:142 for vowels, 15:44:19 for semi-vowels, and 82:161:110 for consonants. The Egyptian national anthem used long vowels (31.4%) more dominantly than the national anthems of Saudi Arabia and Morocco, while the Saudi Arabian national anthem used more thick (6%) and semi-thick (6%) vowels compared to Egyptian and Moroccan national anthems. For the consonant level, the three national anthems were dominated by alveodental consonants, the letters that come from the tip of the tongue, namely 39% for the Saudi Arabian, 34.2% for the Egyptian, and 36.4% for the Moroccan national anthems.

Waste on the Tip of the Tongue: Social Eating Livestreams (Chibo) in the Age of Chinese Affluence

Abstract This article investigates Chinese social eating livestreams (chibo) in the context of China’s 2020 campaign against food waste. It argues that the subgenre ‘big stomach kings’, a target of the campaign, evinces the moral implications of Chinese affluence, of which food waste is exemplary. The emerging affluence in China has normalized conspicuous, wasteful consumption and given rise to a local form of flaunting wealth called ‘xuanfu’. Chinese social media are inundated with xuanfu images, a symptom of the necessary psychosocial adaptation to affluence. Isolating the ‘big stomach kings’ livestreams from the social context of xuanfu, the anti-waste campaign glosses over the underlying social issue of the vast wealth gap between the affluent and the poor. To expose the ethical controversy of these livestreams, the article also analyzes their gender politics by parsing the mystifying image of female ‘big stomach kings’, whose slim bodies are in stark contrast to their enormous appetites.

조음 로보틱스*

Speech is a spatiotemporally coordinated structure of constriction actions at discrete articulators such as lips, tongue tip, tongue body, velum, and glottis. Like other human movements (e.g., reaching), each action as a linguistic task is completed by a synergy of involved basic elements (e.g., bone, muscle, neural system). This paper discusses how speech tasks are dynamically related to joints as one of the basic elements in terms of robotics of speech production. Further this introduction of robotics to speech sciences will hopefully deepen our understanding of how speech is produced and provide a solid foundation to developing a physical talking machine.

Complexity of vocal tract shaping in glossectomy patients and typical speakers: A principal component analysis.

The glossectomy procedure, involving surgical resection of cancerous lingual tissue, has long been observed to affect speech production. This study aims to quantitatively index and compare complexity of vocal tract shaping due to lingual movement in individuals who have undergone glossectomy and typical speakers using real-time magnetic resonance imaging data and Principal Component Analysis. The data reveal that (i) the type of glossectomy undergone largely predicts the patterns in vocal tract shaping observed, (ii) gross forward and backward motion of the tongue body accounts for more change in vocal tract shaping than do subtler movements of the tongue (e.g., tongue tip constrictions) in patient data, and (iii) fewer vocal tract shaping components are required to account for the patients' speech data than typical speech data, suggesting that the patient data at hand exhibit less complex vocal tract shaping in the midsagittal plane than do the data from the typical speakers observed.

An acoustic and articulatory study of rhotic and rhotic-nasal vowels of Kalasha

Kalasha, an endangered Dardic language (Indo-Aryan), is described as having series of retroflex and retroflex-nasal vowels, each with five contrasting vowel qualities. This study provides the first articulatory description of these vowels using lingual ultrasound imaging, showing that the vowels described as retroflex are produced not with tongue tip retroflexion but with bunching of the tongue body. Relative to their non-rhotic counterparts, these rhotic vowels are produced with more retracted tongue root and tongue blade, and they exhibit tongue dorsum concavity, much like bunched rhotic vowels in other languages. The five-way quality contrast between rhotic vowels is achieved using lip rounding as well as differences in tongue dorsum height, backness, and tongue root retraction. The lingual differences are reduced in comparison to the non-rhotic vowels, as they are constrained by the articulatory gestures used to achieve rhoticity.

Histological and Morphometrical Study of the Filiform Papillae in the Domestic Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

The domestic rabbit is often preferred as an experimental model in diverse research and especially those regarding pathologies of the oral cavity, both in human and veterinary medicine. From five domestic mixed breed rabbits, fragments were harvested from the three regions of the tongue: apex, body and root, for histological investigations. The samples were processed by embedding in paraffin, sectioned at a thickness of 5 µm and stained with Goldner’s trichrome method. The histological examination highlighted the presence of the filiform papillae on the entire dorsal surface of the tongue, with morphological particular carachteristics for each portion. The dimension of the filiform papillae of the rabbit’s tongue differs both regarding the length as well as the thickness and density. The shortest filiform papillae were found on the tip of the tongue, then the length increases progressively, reaching the maximum level on the middle portion and decreases in the last portion. The density also differs, in in the three compartments examined, being the highest in the anterior part and the lowest in the posterior part. The thickness of the filiform papillae is inversely proportional to their density. The thickness of the papillae is smaller where the density is higher and highest where the density is lowest. The upper surface of the filiform papillae is variably keratinized depending on the lingual segment. The papillae with the highest level of keratinization are arranged in the body part of the tongue, and those at the tip and root are slightly lower.