[Epidemiologic survey of tongue lesions and analysis of the etiologic factors involved].

The prevalence of tongue lesions, and relationships with different systemic diseases, according to the international literature of epidemiologic studies were reviewed. The data were compared with a Hungarian investigation of 5034 individuals, between 1992 and 1995 in Budapest. Tongue lesions were found in 22.76% of the examined individuals. The ratio was similar in women (51%) and men (49%). Fissured tongue was found in 21.49%, geographic tongue in 2.21%, atrophic tongue in 0.12% and central papillar atrophy in 0.70%. These data agree in general with the epidemiological data found in the international literature. Some rare tongue alterations were also investigated. Lingua indentata was found in 1.49% and hypertrophy of papillae foliatae was found in 0.20%. The relationship with different systemic diseases was the following: In diabetes mellitus tongue lesions were found in 29.03%, in hypertension in 28.63%, connected to heart- and vascular diseases in 25.15%, to haematologic diseases in 17.54%. Tongue lesions were found in 23.86% in the case of liver disease, in 22.38% in gastrointestinal diseases and in 20.69% associated to tumors. In the case of Candida's infection tongue alterations were found in 41.6%, in smokers in 23.72%. Tongue lesions caused complaints rarely, only in 2.27%. The recognition of tongue lesions may be helpful in the early diagnosis of systemic diseases.