08/11/2025
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✅ Spoiler alert: fissured tongue
This is a fissured tongue – it develops due to chronic epithelial and connective tissue changes on the dorsal tongue surface.
The filiform papillae become atrophic, while the underlying connective tissue folds inward, producing deep grooves or fissures.
These changes are thought to result from a combination of:
☑️ Developmental predisposition (as seen in syndromes like Down and Melkersson–Rosenthal)
☑️ Chronic irritation or inflammation of the mucosa
☑️ Reduced salivary flow (xerostomia), leading to surface dryness and accentuated folding
☑️ Age-related epithelial thinning that deepens existing grooves
The process is benign and non-inflammatory, but retained debris within the fissures can lead to secondary irritation or infection.
❌ Behçet’s disease - recurrent oral/genital ulcers with uveitis (systemic vasculitis)
❌ Glossitis - smooth, red, inflamed tongue often due to B12 or iron deficiency
❌ Geographic tongue - map-like depapillated patches that migrate over time
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