The tongue is an organ of great importance that allows us to perform different essential actions in our daily life: tasting, eating, swallowing and speaking… The problem is that it is not exempt from suffering from some kind of pathology.
What types of tongue pathologies exist?
The tongue is very susceptible to alterations, the vast majority can be benign such as:
- Benign migratory glossitis or geographic tongue which is characterized by the appearance and disappearance of white and red shapes on the surface, which draw a changing map.
- Fissured tongue in which there are cracks and fissures on the surface of the tongue.
- Median rhomboidal glossitis in which a red rhomboid appears in the central area of the tongue.
- Hairy tongue or hairy tongue.
- Candidiasis (fungal infection).
All of these can cause discomfort, the most common being stinging or burning.
Why do these pathologies appear?
On many occasions, the tongue is a reflection of what is happening in the rest of the body. If we do not have good dental hygiene or a good diet, it is altered or irritated; many times they appear when there are systemic alterations such as iron deficiencies or deficiencies of certain vitamins.
How do we know if we have mouth cancer?
It is very important to know that the most frequent location of mouth cancer is on the tongue, specifically the lateral edges of the tongue. The most frequent presentation of tongue cancer is in the form of a tumor and/or ulcer that does not heal in a few days.
Therefore, any finding, discomfort, lesion, tumor or ulcer on the tongue should be studied. In the Oral Medicine Unit of ClĂnica Sotorra we offer diagnosis and treatment of disorders of this important organ.