Black hairy tongue | |
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Other names | Lingua villosa nigra[1][2] melanoglossia,[3] hairy tongue[4] |
A picture of black hairy tongue | |
Specialty | ENT surgery |
Symptoms | Discoloration and enlarged pumps on the outer surface of the tongue[5] |
Complications | Bad breath, altered taste, burning[5] |
Usual onset | > 40 years old[4] |
Risk factors | Smoking, alcohol, dry mouth, poor oral hygiene, coffee, certain medications[5][4] |
Diagnostic method | Based on appearance[5] |
Differential diagnosis | Hairy leukoplakia, acanthosis nigricans[5] |
Treatment | Good oral care, reassurance[5] |
Prognosis | Good[5] |
Frequency | 1% to 11%[5] |
Black hairy tongue (BHT) is a condition in which small bumps on the tongue elongate with typically a black or brown discoloration.[6] Other colors such as green or blue may occur.[5] Other than the appearance; there are generally no further symptoms.[5] Occasionally bad breath, altered taste, or burning may occur.[5]
Risk factors include smoking, alcohol, dry mouth, poor oral hygiene, coffee, poor health, and certain medications.[5][4] Medications associated with the condition include erythromycin, doxycycline, bismuth, and olanzapine.[4] Diagnosis is generally made based on the appearance, though tissue biopsy may be carried out in unclear cases.[5][4]
Treatment involves addressing the underlying cause together with good oral care.[5] Gently scrubbing the tongue with a toothbrush may help, as may the use of 3% hydrogen peroxide on the area.[4] Outcomes are good.[5]
Black hairy tongue effects between 1% and 11% of people.[5] It occurs most commonly in those over the age of 40.[4] Males are more commonly affected than females.[5] The condition was first described in 1557 by Amatus Lusitanus.[5]
References
edit- ^ Rajendran, R.; Sivapathasundharam, B., eds. (2009). "Developmental Disturbances of Oral and Paraoral Structures". Shafer's Textbook Of Oral Pathology (6th ed.). Elsevier India. p. 31. ISBN 978-8131215708. Archived from the original on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
- ^ Waggoner, W. C.; Volpe, A. R. (January 1967). "Lingua Villosa Nigra--A Review of Black Hairy Tongue". Journal of Oral Medicine. 22 (1): 18–21. PMID 5340144.
- ^ "Melanoglossia". The Lancet. 197 (5096): 922. 30 April 1921. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(00)55600-1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wright, Beth (2014). "Hairy tongue". dermnetnz.org. DermNet NZ. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Gurvits, GE; Tan, A (21 August 2014). "Black hairy tongue syndrome". World journal of gastroenterology. 20 (31): 10845–50. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i31.10845. PMID 25152586.
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: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ James, William D.; Elston, Dirk; Treat, James R.; Rosenbach, Misha A.; Neuhaus, Isaac (2020). "34. Disorders of the mucous membranes". Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology (13th ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier. p. 799. ISBN 978-0-323-54753-6. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 2022-05-07.