The Twofold Trouble – A Case of Fissured Tongue Syndrome

The tongue plays a vital role in deglutition, taste and speech. An abnormality or unhealthy tongue would make food intake troublesome, thereby depriving the individual of adequate essential nutrients. A fissured tongue is a malformation characterized by furrows or grooves on the dorsum of the tongue. On the other hand, geographic tongue is a benign recurrent condition of uncertain aetiology affecting the tongue characterized by loss of epithelium especially filiform papillae giving a characteristic appearance. These conditions may be asymptomatic or cause of discomfort to the patient. There are seldom case reports in literature of having seen these two conditions concurrently.