The Prevalence of Tongue Anomalies among Medium School Pupils at Aged 13- 15 Years Old in Fallujah City, Iraq

摘要

The tongue is an important muscular organ with different functions such as mastication, speaking, and swallowing. The tongue may be affected by internal diseases before other organs and also may be involved by other environmental, genetical, and developmental disturbances. This study has been performed to evaluate the prevalence of the more common anomalies of the tongue among medium school students with ages 13-15 years old in Fallujah city, Anbar governorate, Iraq. 1650 pupils were selected from medium schools, selected by randomized stratified clustered. The study subject was divided into 3 age groups and in each group 550 students (275 boys and 275 girls) were examined. Examination was performed in quiet condition with the natural light. Lips and cheeks were retracted with disposable mirror. The results were analyzed with chi-square statistic test in SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 22. The prevalence of all tongue anomalies was 30.12% (fissured tongue 8.2%, geographic tongue 2.12%, Macroglossia 2%, tongue tie 10.9%, median rhomboid glossitis 0.42%, hairy tongue 0.2% and coated tongue 6.2%). The prevalence of tongue anomalies was more than one fourth of the total sample, with no significant relation to age and sex. The more prevalent anomalies were tongue tie, fissure tongue, and coated tongue. It is recommended to motivate optimal oral hygiene and avoid the local factors that could precipitate symptoms, such as acidic foods, spicy, irritants in mouth rinses and toothpastes.