The risk factors associated with geographic tongue in a southwestern Chinese population.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to look into age, genetics,sex, oral mucosa diseases, and systemic diseases as potential risk factors for the geographic tongue (GT) in a Chinese population. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cross-sectional study used the demographic and medical data of 3400 patients between March 2021 and August 2021 from the Department of Oral Medicine at West China Hospital of Stomatology. Binary logistic regression was conducted to analyze the association of GT and age, fissured tongue (FT), burning mouth syndrome (BMS), oral lichen planus (OLP), gastrointestinal disorders, and hematologic disorders and to acquire the adjusted odds ratio (AOR). RESULTS: GT occurred in 3.6% of patients, with 15 out of 123 (12.2%) patients with GT having a family history. Binary logistic regression found age <30 years (AOR: 4.4; [95% CI: 2.8-6.9]), FT (28.8 [17.1-48.4]), BMS (0.3 [0.1-0.6]), OLP (0.2 [0.0-0.5]), and gastrointestinal disorders (4.3 [2.7-6.7]) were significantly associated with GT, and GT was unrelated to recurrent aphthous ulcer (RAU) or systemic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. CONCLUSION: In the Chinese population, GT was more prevalent in patients with <30 years of age, FT, and gastrointestinal disorders, and it was less prevalent in BMS and OLP.

Psoriasis is associated with fissured tongue but not geographic tongue: a prospective, cross-sectional, case-control study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It has been postulated that psoriasis is associated with tongue lesions and geographic tongue might be "oral psoriasis". However, reports are inconclusive, prevalence rates vary and data for Europe are sparse. In this prospective case-control study we investigated the point-prevalence of tongue conditions in an Austrian cohort. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Psoriasis patients and healthy volunteers were assessed regarding tongue and skin lesions, age, sex, smoking habits, allergies, onset of psoriasis, PASI scores and anti-psoriatic treatment. RESULTS: We included 173 psoriasis patients, 58 women, 115 men (median age: 50 [37-60] years), and 173 volunteers, 79 women, 94 men (median age: 54 [43-64] years). Overall, 95 subjects had allergies, 64 psoriasis patients and 50 volunteers were smokers. Median age at onset of psoriasis was 26 (12-40) years, the median PASI score was 2 (0-4.1), most patients received ustekinumab (n = 47). Fissured tongue was significantly associated with psoriasis (25 [14.4 %] psoriasis patients, 13 [7.5 %] volunteers; P = 0.04). Geographic tongue was present in four individuals of each group (2.3%) and associated with smoking (P = 0.01) but not with psoriasis. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we found a low point-prevalence of tongue lesions in this Austrian cohort. Psoriasis was associated with fissured tongue but not with geographic tongue. Thus, we cannot corroborate the hypothesis that geographic tongue is an oral manifestation of psoriasis.

Prevalencia de lesiones bucales en tejido blando encontradas en la Clínica de Estomatología de la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad de los Andes: periodo 2015-2018 / Prevalence of oral lesions in soft tissue found in the Clinic of Stomatology of the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of los Andes: 2015-2018 period

Introducción: La epidemiología sobre alteraciones en tejidos blandos bucales es limitada cuando se compara con caries, enfermedades periodontales y maloclusiones, por lo que su estudio representa un paso adelante en la odontología más allá de los dientes. Objetivo: Describir la prevalencia de las lesiones bucales en tejido blando encontradas en la Clínica de Estomatología de la Facultad de Odontología de la ULA, del 2015 al 2018, con la finalidad de proporcionar una fuente de datos actualizada, que oriente a una mejor prevención y oportuno diagnóstico. Material y métodos: Se realizó una investigación descriptiva, documental, retrospectiva y multivariable. Resultados: De 1,000 fichas clínicas estudiadas, las patologías más frecuentes fueron: lengua saburral (50.6%), queilitis (33.4%), traumatismo de la mucosa de los carrillos (27.6%), várices linguales (18.3%), anquiloglosia (13.7%) y agrandamiento de rugas palatinas (11.7%). La zona con mayor alteración fue la lengua (92.1%), mientras que el paladar fue la menos afectada (29%). De los hábitos predisponentes a la formación de lesiones, el mordisqueo de mucosa fue el más común (16.5%). En cuanto a los factores locales asociados, una higiene oral regular/ deficiente resultó el principal (53.8%). Conclusión: La educación del paciente sigue siendo considerada la clave para disminuir la aparición de patologías y su evolución a entidades más graves (AU)

Introduction: Epidemiological studies on soft tissue alterations in the mouth are limited when compared with caries, periodontal diseases and malocclusions, so their study represents a step forward in dentistry beyond the teeth. Objective: To describe the prevalence of soft tissue oral lesions found in the Stomatology Clinic of the ULA School of Dentistry, from 2015 to 2018, in order to provide an up-to-date data source, to guide better prevention and timely diagnosis. Material and methods: A descriptive and documentary, retrospective and multivariable research was carried out. The statistical package IBM SPSS Statistics v 23 was applied for the analysis. Results: 1,000 clinical records studied, the most frequent pathologies were: saburral tongue (50.6%), cheilitis (33.4%), traumatism of the cheek mucosa (27.6%), lingual varices (18.3%), ankyloglossia (13.7%) and enlargement of palatal rugas (11.7%). The tongue was the most affected (92.1%), while the palate was the least affected (29%). Of the predisposing habits to the formation of lesions, mucosal nipping was the most common (16.5%). Regarding the associated local factors, a regular / deficient oral hygiene was the main one (53.8%). Conclusion: Patient education is still considered the key to diminish not only the appearance of pathologies but their evolution to more serious entities (AU)

[Study on the oral mucosal diseases in patients with cerebrovascular diseases].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of oral mucosal diseases (OMD) in patients with cerebrovascular disease. Methods: A total of 182 patients with cerebrovascular disease and 166 controls were examined for OMD to compare the differences of prevalence rates. Results: The prevalence of OMD in patients with cerebrovascular disease appeared higher than that in the control group. Oral candidiasis was most commonly seen (11.1%, 20/182), followed by fissured tongue (5.0%, 9/182), traumatic ulcer (2.8%, 5/182), herpes labialis (2.2%, 4/182), recurrent oral ulcer (1.6%, 3/182), chronic cheilitis (1.6%, 3/182) and oral leukokeratosis (1.6%, 3/182). Conclusion: Patients with cerebrovascular diseases were susceptible to OMDs, especially to oral candidiasis that called for more attention.

Tongue psoriasis: Clinical aspects and analysis of epidemiological associations in 313 children, with a systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: Little information is available on the prevalence and clinical aspects of tongue involvement in children with psoriasis. The aim was to evaluate the prevalence, clinical aspects and risk factors concerning tongue involvement in children with psoriasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was carried out in two stages. We performed a multicentre, cross-sectional study in 23 French dermatology centers. All children seen for psoriasis during the one-year study were systematically included. The clinical features of the tongue and of psoriasis were recorded. Association with clinical aspects of psoriasis and comorbidities was evaluated. We then carried out a literature review to evaluate the prevalence of tongue involvement in children with psoriasis and its positive predictive value for psoriasis. A search was conducted in the PUBMED database using the following keywords: "child" and "psoriasis" and ("tongue" or "glossitis" or "migratory glossitis" or "benign migratory glossitis" or "geographic tongue" or "fissured tongue"). RESULTS: 7.7% of the 313 children with psoriasis had tongue involvement. The clinical aspects were geographic tongue (4.2%), fissured tongue (2.8%) and both (0.64%). There was no association between tongue involvement and the clinical characteristics of the children. Two hundred and ninety-five articles were referenced and 3 were analysed. Psoriasis is very rare in cases of tongue abnormalities. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of tongue involvement was 7.7% in children with psoriasis. No clinical or epidemiological association was shown. Tongue involvement does not modify the management of psoriasis. In the literature review it was not possible to evaluate either the prevalence of tongue involvement in psoriasis or the positive predictive value thereof.

Tongue lesions and anomalies in a sample of Yemeni dental patients: a cross-sectional study

Background: Tongue examination helps considerably in diagnosing the underlying health state of the patient, especially in the cases of chronic diseases. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and association of tongue lesions with risk factors among Yemeni dental patients. Materials and methods: An oral medicine specialist examined all 713 patients attending the dental polyclinics at the University of Sciences and Technology (Sana’a, Yemen). The examination sheet was designed to include information related to patient characteristics, medical history, dental history, habits, and tongue lesions. Results: The prevalence of tongue lesions among the examined participants was 76.5 percent. The prevalence rate was 83.4 percent for males and 69.2 percent for females. Fissured tongue was the most common condition. Logistic regression analysis indicated that older age (p<0.001), gender (p=0.007), khat chewing (p<0.001), and smoking (p=0.001) were associated with fissured tongue; gender (p<0.001), khat chewing (p<0.001), and smoking (p<0.001) were associated with hairy tongue; and older age (p<0.001), khat chewing (p=0.001), and smoking (p=.021) were associated with coated tongue. Conclusion: The prevalence of tongue lesions among this sample of Yemeni population was 76.5 percent; fissured tongue and hairy tongue were the most prevalent lesions. Khat chewing, smoking, and older age were the associated risk factors for many of studied lesions and anomalies.

Investigation of the clinical features of geographic tongue: unveiling its relationship with oral psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the clinical features of geographic tongue (GT), an inflammatory lesion, making diagnosis and the investigation of oral psoriasis difficult. PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical features of GT to facilitate its identification and understand its relationship with psoriasis. METHODS: A total of 96 participants diagnosed with GT underwent stomatological and dermatological examinations. The parameters assessed were burning sensation; number, classification, and location of lesions; loss of papillae; severity of GT lesions; and association with fissured tongue (FT). Psoriatic patients (PS) and those without psoriasis (NPS) were compared. RESULTS: Burning sensation was reported by 45 (47%) patients, 67 (70%) patients showed active GT, 68 (71%) presented with typical lesions, and 59 (61%) exhibited moderate lesions. GT was associated with FT in 75% of the cases and exhibited a diffused pattern associated with severe lesions. It was also more frequent in the PS group. The comparative analysis between the PS and NPS groups showed significant differences between the groups with regard to gender, presence of burning sensation, and GT severity. CONCLUSION: GT is a symptomatic lesion with a thick halo. In contrast, psoriatic patients are frequently asymptomatic and exhibit severe lesions with greater loss of papillae that are associated with severe FT. The present study is the first to demonstrate clinical differences in the GT of patients with and without psoriasis, suggesting that some GT cases may represent true oral psoriasis and some cases may represent only GT.

Host and clinical aspects in patients with benign migratory glossitis.

OBJECTIVE: Investigate the association of clinical, cytological and genetic characteristics with benign migratory glossitis (BMG). STUDY DESIGN: Sample consisted of 175 patients, 44 with BMG and 131 control patients. Clinical examination and DMFT index were assessed. Cytological evaluation determined cell morphology and morphometry. Genetic evaluation was performed by analysing IL6 polymorphisms by real-time PCR. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed (p<0.05). RESULTS: There was a higher level of anxiety, DMFT score and a prevalence of fissured tongue in BMG group. A high mean nuclear/cytoplasmic area ratio was observed in patients with BMG. There was predominance of Papanicolaou class II I BMG group. IL6 allele G rs2069843 polymorphism was associated with BMG in the dominant model. In multivariate analysis, DMFT and anxiety scale remained associated with BMG.

Lesiones de la mucosa bucal en una población infantil de Montevideo, Uruguay / Oral mucosal lesions in a child population of Montevideo, Uruguay

Justificación: Existen escasos estudios que documenten la frecuencia de lesiones de la mucosa bucal en niños y adolescentes, y todos revelan resultados dispares.Materiales y método: Se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo, transversal, en niños de 3 a 12 años de edad que participan del Programa de Salud Bucal de la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad Católica del Uruguay. Se tomaron en cuenta lesiones en la totalidad de la cavidad bucal, describiendo y registrando cada uno de los hallazgos. Se seleccionaron las 7 lesiones más frecuentes enla bibliografía consultada. Se realizó un análisis estadístico según edad, género y tipo de dentición.Resultados: Se estudiaron 191 sujetos; 103 presentaron alguna lesión. La lesión identificada con mayor frecuencia fue Morsicatio buccarum es decir, mordisqueo de mucosa yugal (trauma inflingido). La siguiente lesión más frecuente fue Lengua geográfica.Conclusiones: Las niñas tuvieron mayor probabilidad de presentar algún tipo de lesión que los niños. El rango de edades de 6-9 años tuvo mayor riesgo de presentar alguna lesión que el grupo de 9-12 años. Los sujetos con dentición mixta tuvieron más riesgo de presentarMorsicatio buccarum que el grupo de dentición permanente. Asimismo, los individuos de 6-9 años tuvieron mayores posibilidades de presentar Morsicatio buccarum que el grupo de 9-12 años. No se encontró un estudio epidemiológicamente comparable que describa las mismas lesiones que éste; esto lleva a concluir que es necesario realizar otros estudios con la misma metodología y ampliando los criterios diagnósticos.

Justification: There are few studies that document the frequency of oral mucosal lesions in children and adolescents, and all of them reveal different results.Materials and method: This was an observational, descriptive, transversal survey, in children between the ages of 3 and 12, that participate in the “Programa de Salud Bucal de la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad Católica del Uruguay”/ Oral Health Program of the Dentistry School of Uruguayan Catholic University. Lesions in the whole oral cavity were taken into account, describing and registering each one of the findings. The 7 lesions more frequent in the bibliography consulted were selected. A descriptive statisticalanalysis was made using the variables age, gender and dentition stages.Results: 191 children were examined; lesions were found in 103 children. Morsicatio buccarum, meaning the bitening of the cheek mucosa (self inflicted trauma), was the most common lesion. The second most frequent lesion was Geographic tongue. Conclusions: Girls had higher probability of presenting a lesion than boys. The age range between 6-9 had more risk of developing a lesion than the group ranging in age from 9-12. The children with mixed dentition had more risk of having Morsicatio buccarumthan the children with permanent dentition; and the children ranging in age from 6-9 had more probabilities of presenting Morsicatio buccarum than the children ranging 9-12. We could not find any other survey epidemiologically comparable that described the samelesions than ours. This leads to the conclussion that it is necessary to perform further studies with the same methodology and a wider range of diagnosis criteria.

Frequency of fissured tongue (lingua plicata) as a function of age.

Fissured tongue (lingua plicata; LP) is a mostly asymptomatic condition characterized by grooves and fissures of varying depth on the dorsal surface of the tongue. Most reports in the literature indicate a prevalence of 10–20%, although there is marked variation. On the basis of 1,000 patients (n=465 males, n=535 females), this study examined the association between LP and age as well as further influencing factors. Participants completed a questionnaire comprising information regarding gender, age, alcohol and tobacco consumption, possibly existing removable dentures, and potential mouth burning. Subsequently, photographs of the protruded tongue were taken and examined by two investigators regarding the presence of LP. Four degrees of severity of the condition were distinguished. Degrees of severity of LP as well as numbers of affected individuals increased as a function of age (p<0.001). LP occurred more frequently in males than females (p=0.0029). In addition, smoking exerted a positive influence on the prevalence (p<0.05), and a positive correlation appeared between mouth burning and LP (p<0.01).

Factors associated with geographic tongue and fissured tongue.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the association of systemic diseases, use of medications, allergies and tobacco habits with geographic tongue (GT) and fissured tongue (FT) lesions. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the clinical characteristics of tongue lesions and to compare the overall results for referred and non-referred patients. METHODOLOGY: Non-referred patients with GT (GTgp; n = 130) and FT (FTgp; n = 62) were examined by general practitioners (gp) and compared to a control group without oral mucosal lesions (C; n = 1029). Referred patients with GT (GTs; n = 166) and FT (FTs; n = 15) were examined by oral medicine specialists (s) and compared to GTgp and FTgp. Statistical analyses were performed using unpaired t-test or Fisher's exact test. A multiple logistic regression model was developed to control for age and gender as confounders. RESULTS: Compared to the C group, GTgp patients used more anti-hypertensive medications and Swedish snus (p < 0.01). The GTgp group consisted of older males (p < 0.001) compared to C. Compared to the GTgp group, the GTs group was younger, more likely to have symptomatic lesions (p < 0.0001) and comprised of more females. Among the groups examined, FT patients had the highest mean age. CONCLUSION: This study identified an association between GT and anti-hypertensive medications, as well as the use of Swedish snus. It also found differences in the activities and symptoms of the lesions between referred patients and their counterparts who were seen in general dental practice; these parameters influenced the results when these conditions were taken into account.

Geographic tongue and fissured tongue in 348 patients with psoriasis: correlation with disease severity.

Geographic tongue (GT) and fissured tongue (FT) are the more frequent oral lesions in patients with psoriasis. The aims of this study were to compare the prevalence of GT/FT between psoriasis group (PG) and healthy controls (HC) and investigate the correlation between GT/FT and psoriasis severity using the PASI and age of psoriasis onset. Three hundred and forty-eight PG and 348 HC were selected. According to the age of psoriasis onset, the individuals were classified as having early psoriasis and late psoriasis. The severity of vulgaris psoriasis was determined according to PASI. A follow-up was conducted in patients with psoriasis vulgaris (PV) with GT to evaluate the progression of oral and cutaneous lesions. The FT and GT were more frequent in PG than in HC. The incidence of GT was higher in patients with early psoriasis and that of FT in late-psoriasis. There is association between psoriasis intensity and GT; and a higher monthly decrease of PASI score in patients without GT. The presence of GT and FT is higher in PG than in the HC. GT is associated with disease severity and may be a marker of the psoriasis severity.

Prevalence and distribution of oral mucosal lesions: a cross-sectional study in Shanghai, China.

BACKGROUND: An epidemiological study on the oral mucosal lesions (OMLs) in general population from China was scarce. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and distribution of OMLs in Shanghai, China and to evaluate their association with demographic factors and smoking/drinking habits based on a large scaled population on a wide spectrum. METHODS: In this population-based cross-sectional study, 11054 community-dwelling individuals (M/F: 5140/5914; age range, 1-96 years) were randomly selected and examined according to WHO criteria. RESULTS: The prevalence of OMLs was 10.8% in this study. A total of 1192 (M/F: 543/649; mean age, 56.9 years) individuals were presented with different types of OMLs. The most common type of OMLs was fissured tongue (prevalence of 3.15%), followed by recurrent aphthae (1.48%), traumatic ulcer (1.13%), and angular cheilitis (0.86%). The two most common potentially malignant disorders were oral lichen planus (0.81%) and leukoplakia (0.22%). Regression analysis revealed that the elderly age, smoking, and alcohol intake were statistically significant risk factors of OMLs with emphasis on leukokeratosis, leukoplakia, and lichen planus. CONCLUSION: The prevalence and distribution of OMLs were elucidated in an eastern area of China, and the importance of tobacco and alcohol in the pathogenesis of OMLs was evidenced. Our data have provided baseline information about epidemiologic aspects of OMLs that can be valuable in organized program targeting on oral health and hygiene.

Fissured tongue: a sign of tongue edema?

Fissured tongue (FT) is a condition frequently seen in the general population. Clinically, FT is characterized by grooves that vary in depth and are noted along the dorsal and/or dorsolateral aspects of the tongue. Furthermore, FT presents many enlarged, smooth filiform papillae and subepithelial inflammatory infiltration. Despite of many studies, the etiology of FT remains obscure. FT is believed to be a congenital anomaly associated with several disorders and with geographic tongue (GT). We hypothesize that FT is not a congenital anomaly, and FT with swollen filiform papillae may represent edema in the subepithelial tissue of the tongue. According to the literature, the difference in prevalence among different age groups indicates that FT is not a congenital disorder. FT appears to occur more commonly in adults, and it is very rare or not at all in children younger than 10 years old. An association between FT and GT is well established in the literature, supporting the results of previous authors suggesting that FT might be a consequence of GT. The most remarkable finding in the region of swollen papillae of FT samples has been the subepithelial infiltrates of polymorphonuclear leucocytes and lymphocytes causing the subepithelial edema. The clinically visible grooves and large edematic papillae clustered on the region of the fissures might be caused by the inflammation and edema underneath the epithelium. In the future, FT and GT must be researched together as two different entities of the same disease so that GT is a prestage of FT. The diagnosis of FT must be taken to consideration whether the tongue surface have smooth and swollen papillae or normal-appearing filiform papillae.

Psoriasis and oral lesions: multicentric study of Oral Mucosa Diseases Italian Group (GIPMO).

OBJECTIVE: This is a multicentric, observational and controlled study designed to verify the existence of a significant association between plaque-type psoriasis and oral lesions, such as geographic tongue and/or fissured tongue. STUDY DESIGN: during a period of 9 months all consecutive patients with plaque-type psoriasis were enrolled using simple nonrandom (sequential) sampling. The control group included healthy subjects presenting to the same Dermatology centers to monitor pigmented skin lesions; the patients were matched for age and sex. All patients were examined for oral lesions. RESULTS: Out of a total of 535 psoriatic patients and 436 control group patients, oral mucosal lesions were detected in 188 (35.1%) and 86 (19.7%) cases, respectively, and the difference is statistically significant. Fissured tongue (FT) and geographic tongue (GT), which were most frequently detected, were seen more frequently in psoriatic patients (FT: 22.6%; GT: 9.1%) than the control group (FT: 10.3%; GT: 5.2%) (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the similar studies reported in the literature and the large number of patients involved in our study, we can conclude that FT and GT can be clearly suggested as oral manifestations of plaque-type psoriasis, although the reason for this association is not clear.

Prevalence of oral lesions and normal variants of the oral mucosa in 12 to 15-year-old students in Tehran, Iran.

OBJECTIVES: There are relatively few systematic studies, documenting the prevalence of mucosal disorders in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral lesions in 12- to 15-year olds living in Tehran and to assess the possible relationship between the occurrence of these lesions and gender. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed in which 1020 adolescents were participated. The sample size was based upon an expected oral lesion prevalence of 25%, a precision of 0.05 and a confidence level of 99. Epi-info version 6.0 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Two hundred eighty-six adolescents (28.0%) were diagnosed with at least one oral mucosal lesion at the time of the examination. The prevalence of any oral mucosal lesion was 29.2% among the boys and 26.9% among the girls. With the exception of melanotic macules, there were no statistically significant differences in oral mucosal lesion prevalence by gender. CONCLUSION: More than 28% of the adolescents were found to have at least one oral mucosal lesion. Melanotic macule was found to be proportionally more common in boys than girls.

Prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in institutionalized elderly people in Mashhad, Northeast Iran.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in institutionalized elderly people in Mashhad, northeast of Iran. BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of oral lesions in the institutionalized elderly. METHODS: In this survey, we studied all of the nursing homes in Mashhad; a total of five encompassing 237 residents. The subjects were examined and lesions recorded in a designed checklist. T-test, chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for the analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 79.59 ± 8.88. Ninety-eight per cent of cases had at least one oral mucosal lesion. The most common lesions were fissured tongue (66.5%), atrophic glossitis (48.8%), sublingual varicosity (42%) and xerostomia (38%). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of denture-related lesions (DRLs) between men and women (p > 0.05). Xerostomia was more prevalent in 70-79-year-old than in 60-69-year-old subjects. No case of oral malignant lesion was detected. DISCUSSION: These findings revealed a higher prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in Mashhad city compared with other studies conducted in other major cities in Iran and abroad. The results emphasise the necessity of national programmes towards oral health promotion.

Characteristics of patients with orofacial granulomatosis.

OBJECTIVES: Orofacial granulomatosis has mostly been described in reports of very small numbers of cases. Few large case groups have been described. The aim of this study was to describe the demographics, symptoms, clinical features and laboratory findings in a large cohort of cases. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Clinical and laboratory data for 119 cases of orofacial granulomatosis who attended oral medicine clinics in Dublin, Ireland, were examined for demographic characteristics at the time of first presentation. The male/female ratio was approximately 1:1, with a median age (and range) of 28 (5-84) years. RESULTS: Symptoms had been present for a median duration of 12 weeks. A food association was suspected by 30% of patients. The predominant complaint was lip swelling (77%) with only 15% reporting facial swelling, while 8% complained of both. Almost all patients had clinical evidence of lip or facial swelling (95%). Other common extra-oral manifestations were lip fissuring (30%), angular cheilitis (28%) and perioral erythema (28%). Common intra-oral manifestations were cobblestoning of the buccal mucosa (63%), ulcers (36%), granulomatous gingivitis (33%), mucosal tags (29%) and fissured tongue (17%). Over half of the biopsies (56%) performed were reported as typical of orofacial granulomatosis. CONCLUSION: This is one of the largest cohorts of orofacial granulomatosis patients to have been described in detail.

The prevalence of tongue lesions in Malaysian dental outpatients from the Klang Valley area.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of tongue lesions in Malaysian dental outpatients from the Klang Valley area. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted on 600 Malaysian outpatients (257 men, 343 women, mean age, 37.7 years) attending the Primary Dental Care Unit at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya. Demographic and medical data were recorded for all respondents. RESULTS: One hundred eighty-one patients (30.2%) (81 men, 100 women, mean age 42.0 years) were diagnosed with at least one tongue lesion (n = 207) at the time of examination. Of these, 24 patients (4%) had two or more tongue lesions present synchronously. Seven different lesions were diagnosed: fissured tongue (13.8%), crenated tongue (7.8%), pigmented tongue (6.2%), geographic tongue (2.2%), ankyloglossia (1.7%), hairy tongue (1.0%) and median rhomboid glossitis (0.2%). Their racial prevalences were Malays (n = 65, 10.8%), Indians (n = 62, 10.3%), Chinese (n = 53, 8.8%) and other race (n = 1, 0.2%). A significant relationship was observed between crenated tongue and race; between four types of tongue lesions (fissured tongue, geographic tongue, crenated tongue and pigmented tongue) and age; and between fissured tongue and gender (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Distribution characteristics of tongue lesions in Malaysians are important as local reference data in the daily clinical practice.

Oral mucosal lesions in denture wearers.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions (OMLs) and denture-related mucosal lesions (DMLs) in denture wearers and to co-relate the prevalence with age, gender, type of denture and any systemic conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dental records of 380 denture wearers were retrospectively reviewed for OMLs and DMLs. RESULTS: We found 45% of the denture wearers had DMLs and 60.8% had OMLs not related to denture wearing. Although the prevalence of DMLs was higher in complete denture wearers than in partial denture wearers (49% vs. 42.2%), this difference was not significant. The most common DMLs were traumatic ulcer (19.5%) and denture-induced stomatitis (18.1%). When analysed by type, traumatic ulcer, denture hyperplasia, frictional keratosis and candidiasis were more common in complete denture wearers, whereas denture-induced stomatitis was more common in partial denture wearers. Frictional keratosis was more common in men than in women. The prevalence of OMLs not related to denture wearing was higher in complete denture wearers than in partial denture wearers, and the most common OML was fissured tongue (27.6%). No association between DMLs and systemic conditions or xerostomic drugs was noted. CONCLUSION: No differences in the prevalence of DMLs in association with denture type were found. The prevalence of OMLs not related to denture wearing was higher in complete denture wearers than in partial denture wearers. This difference was affected by age, and the data were similar to the findings observed in the elderly.