Fissured tongue in geriatric female patient with diabetes mellitus and schizophrenia: a case report and review of literature

Tongue is a sensitive muscular organ in the oral cavity that plays an important role in speech, taste and deglutition. Fissured tongue is one of the conditions commonly encountered in routine dental practice, characterized by grooves and fissures covering the dorsal surface of the tongue. This condition is asymptomatic, until food particles trapped in the grooves which leads to inflammation and halitosis. Some studies proposed that a polygenic mode of inheritance is associated with the development of tongue grooves. Common systemic illnesses associated with this condition are hypertension, diabetes mellitus and schizophrenia. Proper knowledge of the association between these conditions and fis- sured tongue may help the dentist to treat this disorder at an early stage.