Periodontics · patient case question
The deep grooves radiating from a central fissure on the dorsal tongue represent:
Patient case: Soft Tissue Assessment and Gingival Biotype
demo: 26-year-old female
chief: Consultation before orthodontic treatment.
history: Non-contributory.
meds: None
findings: Photographic assessment shows highly scalloped gingival architecture with a translucent margin through which the underlying periodontal probe is visible, and minimal keratinized tissue at the mandibular incisors. The dorsal tongue shows deep grooves radiating from a central fissure.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Fissured tongue — a benign developmental variant requiring only brushing of the dorsum
- A. Hairy leukoplakia is a corrugated white lesion of the lateral border, not the dorsum.
- B. Carcinoma presents as an indurated ulcer or mass, not symmetric fissuring.
- C. Median rhomboid glossitis is a smooth depapillated rhomboid patch, not a fissure pattern.
- D. Correct. Fissured tongue is a common benign developmental variant. Debris and Candida can accumulate in the grooves, so gentle brushing of the dorsum is the only management required. It is often seen with geographic tongue and in Down syndrome and Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome.