What Is Glossitis?

Glossitis refers to chronic, non-specific inflammation of the tongue. The tongue is a special part of the human body. Changes in tongue quality and tongue coating can often reflect changes in visceral function. Glossitis is mainly manifested as redness and smoothness of the tongue. Glossitis is also an oral complication of some systemic diseases. It is more common in anemia, riboflavin deficiency, malabsorption syndrome, heart failure patients, and female menopause syndrome.

Basic Information

Visiting department: Department of Oral Medicine
Common causes: Various factors can cause the system, such as malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, etc.

Common symptoms: Numbness, burning, pain when eating
Contagious: no

Causes of glossitis

There are many causes of glossitis, which are more common in systemic factors, such as malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, endocrine disorders, menstrual cycle effects, anemia and fungal infections, and abuse of antibiotics. Local factors often include sharp cusps, calculus, poor restorations, and eating irritating food. In recent years, the widespread use or abuse of antibiotics has caused the normal intestinal flora to become imbalanced, resulting in insufficient riboflavin production, and the incidence is not uncommon.

Clinical manifestations of glossitis

1. The disease is more common in the front of the tongue, especially the tip and edge of the tongue, especially in the front half of the tongue. Conscious numbness, burning pain, pain while eating, etc. Symptoms such as dry mouth may occur with reduced saliva. The course is prolonged, and remission and exacerbation occur alternately.
2. From the beginning, there are several small red-glazed smooth spots on the tongue surface, or the tongue surface is mostly beef-like, purple-red and smooth. Superficial ulcers or recurrent follicular stomatitis are often associated with these lesions or normal tongue. Similar changes can occur in the vagina in female patients.
3. The tongue's filamentous nipples can shrink, thinn, or disappear, so the tongue surface is fiery red, with a shallow crack. At the beginning of the atrophy of the filamentous nipples, the mushroom-shaped nipples swelled and appeared more prominent, and later also gradually shrank, eventually becoming a "smooth tongue".
4. Accompanied by atrophic glossitis, often a significant symptom of critical illness, but also a terminal manifestation.
5. If glossitis occurs at the same time as mouth corner erosion, cleft palate or red lips, dry desquamation, and scrotal inflammation, suggest riboflavin deficiency.
6. In the case of malignant anemia, tongue atrophy can be accompanied by painful, purplish red, and chronic plaques, in which the filamentous nipples disappear or become thin, while the mushroom-shaped nipples swell and are sensitive to irritating food, called Hunter glossitis . This erosion mainly occurs on the tongue tip, tongue edge and tongue surface, and occasionally on the lips, cheeks and maxillary mucosa.

Glossitis examination

1. Routine oral examination, saliva or mucous scrape smear microscopy, bacterial culture.
2. Routine blood test to check whether the patient is anaemic.
3. Endoscopic examination of patients with gastrointestinal diseases.

Glossitis diagnosis

The diagnosis is mainly based on clinical manifestations, and the cause is found and excluded as much as possible. If necessary, biopsies are taken to confirm the diagnosis.

Glossitis Treatment

For the treatment of the cause, check and actively treat systemic diseases such as anemia, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and so on. Antibiotics should be reasonably applied, nutrition and diet adjusted reasonably, and sufficient B vitamins, especially vitamin B2 (riboflavin), to be added.

Glossitis prevention

1. To maintain oral hygiene, you must rinse with water after a meal. You must hold the tip of your tongue against the lingual side of the anterior teeth of the lower jaw, so that the back of the tongue arches upwards so that the fissure can expand and it will help to clean up the remaining residue.
2. During inflammation, anti-inflammatory antiseptic gargle can be used.
3. Oral antibiotics for secondary infections and topical application of cod liver oil emulsion.