Sublingual varices in relation to smoking and cardiovascular diseases.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between sublingual varices, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and smoking. We studied 281 patients over 40 years old in this observational clinical study. During a dental check up visit, sublingual varices were sought on the lateral border of the tongue. Results were classified into two groups: grade 0 (few or none) and grade 1 (moderate or severe). Information about CVD and smoking was obtained from the patients and recorded. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the influence of particular variables on the incidence of sublingual varices. The presence and number of varices increased with increasing age, and the overall incidence was 98/281 (35%). Fifty-one of the patients were smokers (18%) and 45 (16%) had CVD, usually hypertension. Sublingual varices were significantly associated with age (odds ratio (OR) 1.1), smoking (OR 2.4), and CVD (OR 2.7).