https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5970-713X
Abstract
Background
The tongue is known as the mirror of oral and general health. Some diseases may show signs in the tongue. Fissured is approximately an asymptomatic condition characterized by grooves and fissures of varying depth on the dorsal surface of the tongue. Epidemiologically, its prevalence is varied based on different factors, but most of them report 10–20%.
Methods
In the department of oral medicine at Ali-Abad University Hospital of Kabul University of Medical Sciences, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 patients. This fissured tongue is first diagnosed based on clinical appearance (fissures) on each side of tongue. Meanwhile, the whole medical and dental histories were taken for the rest of the leading factors.
Results
Out of 400 patients (124 males and 276 females) seen and checked, which 142 cases were fissured tongue [45 (31.7%) males and 97 (68.3%) females]. The fissures were found to be least in the >10 – 19-year age group, 23 (16.3%) and it was most prevalent in the 20 −39 age group, 73 (51.8%), followed by 40 −59, 35 (24.8%) and 60< age group, 10 (7.1%). The most prevalent type of pattern of fissures was found to be superficial, multiple and not connected fissures, 46.32% (33.3% males, 32.3% females), followed by superficial, multiple and connected fissures, 25.5% (26.7% males, 25% females), and whereas 6.4% of patients with (single and deep type of fissure) was the lowest prevalent type of fissured tongue. In our study, more than half of patients asymptomatic (51.6% females and 71.1% males), 17.9% complained from tongue dryness, 14.3% soreness, 6.4% halitosis, 1.4% tongue swelling and 2.1% had all the signs.
Conclusion
The prevalence of fissured tongue was 35.5%. A significant difference between genders was reported with female predominance in all cases observed. The most prevalent age groups were 20–29 and 30–39 in both gender groups. Superficial, multiple, and not connected fissures 46.32% were the most common type of fissure.
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Ethics and Informed Consent Statements
Prior to the start this study, the research protocol (proposal in local language) was submitted for review to research ethics committee of Kabul University of Medical Sciences. This committee usually consists of qualified experts from different faculties including curative medicine, dentistry, public health, midwifery, and nursing who transparently provide comment, guidance, and approval of research. This study was supervised and confirmed based on the ethical principles (10 specific principles of Helsinki; scientific requirements and research protocols, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, research registration and publications, and so on) of this committee. All data of this study in conjunction with the participants’ informed consent are stored for ethical issues with this committee.
Acknowledgment
The authors are extremely grateful to the completion of our study would not have been possible without the support and nurturing of our research mentors (Prof. Razia Rabizada, MD and Assistant Prof. Tamana Barakaty, MD, MsCs) for guiding us.
Disclosure
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.