Crenated tongue is a descriptive term for the appearance of the
tongue
The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for mastication and swallowing as part of the digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper surface (dorsum) is covered by taste bu ...
when there are indentations along the
lateral
Lateral is a geometric term of location which may refer to:
Healthcare
*Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction
* Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle
* Lateral release (surgery), a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap
Phonetics
*Lateral co ...
borders (the sides), as the result of compression of the tongue against the adjacent teeth.
The oral mucosa in the area of crenation is usually of normal color, but there may be
erythema
Erythema (from the Greek , meaning red) is redness of the skin or mucous membranes, caused by hyperemia (increased blood flow) in superficial capillaries. It occurs with any skin injury, infection, or inflammation. Examples of erythema not asso ...
(redness) if exposed to a high degree of friction or pressure.
Crenated tongue is usually asymptomatic and harmless.
It is not a disease as such, but usually results from habits where the tongue is pressed against the lingual surfaces (the side facing the tongue) of the
dental arches, or from any cause of
macroglossia (enlarged tongue),
which in itself has many causes such as
Down syndrome
Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with child development, physical growth delays, mild to moderate ...
.
Where crenation is caused by
parafunctional habit A para-functional habit or parafunctional habit is the habitual exercise of a body part in a way that is other than the most common use of that body part. In dentistry, orthodontics, and oral and maxillofacial pathology, the body part in question i ...
s, there may also be associated
bruxism
Bruxism is excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching. It is an oral parafunctional activity; i.e., it is unrelated to normal function such as eating or talking. Bruxism is a common behavior; reports of prevalence range from 8% to 31% in the gen ...
,
,
or
morsicatio buccarum.
Society and culture
In
traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logica ...
, scalloping of the tongue is said to indicate
qi vacuity. In some
homeopathic
Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a dis ...
sources, scalloping of the tongue is said to be indicative of high blood pressure.
Both claims are unsupported by evidence.
See also
*
Tongue disease
References
External links
{{oral pathology
Tongue