Common Tongue Manifestations in Patients with Diabetes and Hypertension

The tongue, a sensitive organ in the oral cavity, is often affected by various systemic conditions. Diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) are prevalent chronic diseases potentially associated with oral manifestations. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between systemic diseases and common tongue pathologies.

This cross-sectional study examined 30 patients at the University of Kufa’s College of Dentistry in Iraq. Patients aged 20-70 years underwent oral examinations using a mirror and probe to identify various tongue pathologies, including coated tongue, hairy tongue, geographic tongue, fissured tongue, and fibroma. Data on pre-existing DM and/or HTN were collected. Statistical analysis was employed to evaluate the relationship between systemic diseases and tongue pathologies.

The mean age of the participants was 43.46 years, with a male predominance of 63.3%. Moreover, 63.3% of participants had chronic medical conditions: 26.7% had both DM and HTN, 16.7% had DM only, and 20% had HTN only. Fissured tongue (53.3%) and coated tongue (20%) were the most prevalent tongue pathologies. However, no statistically significant correlation (P = 0.816) was found between systemic disease (DM and/or HTN) and the presence of tongue pathology.

The absence of a statistically significant association in this limited sample (n=30) contrasts with some existing literature suggesting links between diabetes/hypertension and oral manifestations, possibly due to insufficient statistical power in this study. While fissured and coated tongues were common, their direct statistical link to the studied systemic diseases was not established. The findings highlight the need for cautious interpretation of results from small-scale exploratory studies and underscore the importance of larger, more investigations to clarify these complex relationships.

While fissured and coated tongues were common in this study population, no statistically significant association was demonstrated between diabetes mellitus or hypertension and tongue pathology in this limited sample. Despite this, the tongue's sensitivity suggests that individuals with systemic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus (DM) and/or hypertension (HTN), may be more vulnerable to tongue changes. Further research with larger samples is needed to clarify these relationships.