Clinical Characteristics and Distribution of the Tongue-Related Diagnoses of Patients with Tongue Symptoms

Purpose: This study was conducted to analyze the clinical characteristics and distribution of the tongue-related diagnoses in patients with tongue symptoms. Methods: The subjects were patients who visited Chosun University Dental Hospital with tongue symptoms from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021. We analyzed 491 patients (139 males and 352 females) with tongue-related diagnostic code names in the Korean Standard Classification of Disease (KCD) in the Electronic Medical Record (Dentopinformation Technology Co., Seoul, Korea). Results: On analyzing the diagnoses of tongue diseases using the KCD, glossopyrosis (44.8%) and painful tongue (15.2%) showed high rates. Of the 491 patients, 139 (28.3%) were males and 352 (71.7%) were females, and the average age was 58.1 years. As for systemic diseases, there were many patients with diseases of the circulatory system (27.0%) and endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (13.7%). Tongue symptoms were discomfort in 58 patients, pain in 329 patients, paresthesia in 10 patients, burning sensations in 222 patients, dysgeusia in 25 patients, dryness in 110 patients, fissures in 57 patients, and other symptoms in 72 patients. Areas with tongue symptoms were the anterior area in 102 patients, the lateral area in 140 patients, the posterior area in 12 patients, the dorsal area in 140 patients, the ventral area in 42 patients, and which area in 126 patients overall. Patients with burning mouth syndrome and oral candidiasis had significantly more tongue symptoms. Conclusions: Patients with tongue symptoms exhibited a variety of tongue diseases. Tongue symptoms were more common in women over 50 years of age and were frequently seen in patients with burning mouth syndrome and oral candidiasis.