
|Articles|January 19, 2022
Pharmacy Clinical Pearl of the Day: Geographic Tongue
Author(s)Saro Arakelians, PharmD
Treatment for geographic tongue includes OTC pay relievers, mouth rinses with anesthetics, antihistamines, corticosteroids, and vitamin B supplements.
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Clinical Pearl of the Day: Geographic Tongue
Geographic tongue is an inflammatory but harmless condition affecting the surface of the tongue.
Insight:
- The tongue is normally covered with tiny, pinkish-white bumps (papillae), which are short, fine, hairlike projections.
- With geographic tongue, patches on the surface of the tongue are missing papillae and appear as smooth, red "islands," often with slightly raised borders.
- These patches (lesions) give the tongue a map-like, or geographic, appearance.
- The lesions often heal in one area and then migrate to a different part of the tongue.
- Geographic tongue is also known as benign migratory glossitis.
- Symptoms include smooth, red, and irregular shaped patches; frequent changes in the location, size, and shape discomfort and pain.
- Risk factors may include family history and fissured tongue.
- Treatment includes OTC pay relievers, mouth rinses with anesthetics, antihistamines, corticosteroids, and vitamin B supplements.
Reference:
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