When you open your mouth, you may find a "map" on your tongue. Don't panic, it's...

In the dental department, we often see the following scenes:

The parent continued, "The child's tongue looks like the coating has fallen off piece by piece, and it's bare. The coating around it looks very thick, and its position seems to be constantly changing, but the child didn't complain about pain."

After asking questions and examining the child, the doctor told the parents:

So, what is geographic tongue?

Geographic tongue, also known as map-like tongue or migratory glossitis, is a common superficial non-infectious tongue inflammation. It is named because its appearance is similar to the winding borders marked on a map and the location of the attack is not fixed.

In which groups of people does geographic tongue often occur?

It is common in children, especially those aged 6 months to 3 years, but can also occur in young and middle-aged people. It is more common in women than in men in adults, and is often accompanied by a grooved tongue. The prevalence of this disease is reported to be 0.1%-14.1%.

What are the symptoms of geographic tongue?

Geographic tongue often occurs on the back, tip and edge of the tongue. It often appears suddenly. The area where the tongue coating is delaminated looks bare, as if a piece of the tongue coating has fallen off compared to the surrounding area. The tongue coating at the edge of the delaminated area is thickened, enclosing the delaminated area like a fence, which looks particularly like a winding border on a map. It lasts for a week or several weeks and then disappears, while new lesions appear at the same time. Patients generally have no obvious symptoms, but when combined with fungal or bacterial infection, or when eating irritating foods, there will be burning pain or dull pain.

The unique feature of geographic tongue is its migratory variability, that is, the clinical lesion shape and location can change over time, which is what many patients say, "the tongue pattern changes back and forth, sometimes here, sometimes there." Although geographic tongue looks scary, many patients will feel better for a while, but then relapse again and again, but in fact, geographic tongue is a self-limiting disease, if there are no symptoms, patients do not need to be anxious or nervous.

What are the causes of geographic tongue?

The cause of geographic tongue is not clear, but it is mainly related to genetic, immune, psychological, malnutrition, oral microorganisms and other factors. In children, it may be related to the lack of trace elements such as vitamins and zinc.

Geographic tongue looks so scary, is it contagious? Can it turn into cancer?

First of all, geographic tongue is not an infectious disease and is not contagious;

Secondly, although geographic tongue has a long course of disease, it is not a precancerous lesion and will not turn into oral cancer. Don’t be afraid of cancer, just relax!

Finally, let’s talk about the prevention and treatment of geographic tongue in daily life.

1. Maintain a balanced diet, eat more vegetables and fruits, and develop a good habit of not being picky about food;

2. Keep a regular work and rest schedule, pay attention to rest, and avoid long-term fatigue;

3. Maintain good oral hygiene habits;

4. Geographic tongue has a good prognosis and generally does not require special treatment. If obvious pain or discomfort occurs, seek medical attention in time. The doctor will provide symptomatic treatment based on whether there is bacterial or fungal infection. For those who are deficient in trace elements, they will choose to supplement trace elements.