Top Causes of a Fissured Tongue

What Causes a Fissured Tongue?

A fissured tongue isn’t a harmful condition and neither is it contagious, although it is sensitive to certain foods and may bring some discomfort. The important thing is to remember to not allow food to get trapped in the cracks in your tongue.

• Certain conditions, such as Down syndrome and Melkersson–Rosenthal syndrome (a neurological disorder characterized by the swelling of the face and upper lip, and Bell’s palsy), can cause a fissured tongue. While not everyone with these syndromes will necessarily present with a cracked tongue, about 80% of people with Down syndrome do have a fissured tongue.
• The causes of a cracked tongue are thought to possibly be genetic or hereditary because the condition is often observed in larger numbers within families when compared to the rest of the population.
• Geographic tongue, known medically as benign migratory glossitis, can also cause a fissured tongue. It’s a harmless condition that usually causes no symptoms other than a sensitivity to hot and spicy foods. In geographic tongue, the papillae of the tongue, which are normally small and bumpy, become smooth and flat, and this change in texture also creates a change in color. The tongue, in a way, looks like a map. As papillae grow back, other areas may flatten, so the “map” changes, giving the illusion that the flat areas are moving.
• A vitamin deficiency can also cause a fissured tongue. Your body will notify you when it’s lacking in certain nutrients, and this is one way it does so. Specifically, a fissured tongue can be caused by a vitamin B deficiency. There’s a good reason your doctor checks your tongue during annual visits!

Source: Top Causes of a Fissured Tongue