Glycine powder therapy on a hairy tongue: A case report.

Black hairy tongue (BHT) is a benign condition characterized by a discolored, hairy appearance of the dorsal tongue. The lesion is distributed on the dorsal aspect of the tongue and does not involve the lateral and the tip site of the tongue. The most common discoloration of the tongue in this condition is black to blackish-brown, but it can present with green or yellow discoloration or can lack pigmentation altogether. Glycin powder is described in the literature for the treatment of periodontitis and per implantitis, but never is it used for treatment of hairy tongue. 50-year-old male patient came to our observation showed a whitish film on the tongue with hypertrophy of the filiform papillae, typical of a hairy tongue. It is decided to treat the patient with glycine powder using an airflow hand piece. The powder was insufflated for about 2 minutes on the lingual central surface. 7 days after the lingual lesion healed. The use of glycin powder is considered safe and effective in the literature, especially in removing biofilms. This case report could be the starting point for randomized clinical trials that investigate the use of glycine powder in treatment of hairy tongue.