A PROSPECTIVE STUDY FOR THE PREVALENCE OF GEOGRAPHIC TONGUE IN AN EGYPTIAN POPULATION SAMPLE

Abstract

Geographic tongue (benign migratory glossitis) is one of the inflammatory lesions of the oral mucosa. It usually affects the dorsal and the lateral borders of the tongue. Similar lesions were reported to affect other sites than the tongue and are known as ectopic geographic tongue or geographic stomatitis. The prevalence of geographic tongue in most reports .ranges from 1-3% with a predilection for females. Etiology of geographic tongue is debatable. Some authors believe it to be a congenital anomaly, others believe it to be an acute inflammatory condition while others believe it to be a manifestation of psychological upsets. Clinically, it is characterized by migrating localized atrophy of the filiform papillae. The atrophied patches are surrounded by raised white keratotic margins. The lesions show periods of remission and exacerbation, and are seldomly &yrnptomatic.

Epidemiologic literature regarding the oral mucosal lesions is sparse in comparison to caries and periodontal diseases. The present • investigation was designed to join a worldwide interest in oral mucosal lesions. It aims for the detection of the prevalence of geographic tongue among an Egyptian population sample and testing the hypothesis of its • relation to other systemic or oral diseases.