The prevalence of tongue lesions in Malaysian dental outpatients from the Klang Valley area.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of tongue lesions in Malaysian dental outpatients from the Klang Valley area.


METHODS
A cross sectional study was conducted on 600 Malaysian outpatients (257 men, 343 women, mean age, 37.7 years) attending the Primary Dental Care Unit at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya. Demographic and medical data were recorded for all respondents.


RESULTS
One hundred eighty-one patients (30.2%) (81 men, 100 women, mean age 42.0 years) were diagnosed with at least one tongue lesion (n = 207) at the time of examination. Of these, 24 patients (4%) had two or more tongue lesions present synchronously. Seven different lesions were diagnosed: fissured tongue (13.8%), crenated tongue (7.8%), pigmented tongue (6.2%), geographic tongue (2.2%), ankyloglossia (1.7%), hairy tongue (1.0%) and median rhomboid glossitis (0.2%). Their racial prevalences were Malays (n = 65, 10.8%), Indians (n = 62, 10.3%), Chinese (n = 53, 8.8%) and other race (n = 1, 0.2%). A significant relationship was observed between crenated tongue and race; between four types of tongue lesions (fissured tongue, geographic tongue, crenated tongue and pigmented tongue) and age; and between fissured tongue and gender (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Distribution characteristics of tongue lesions in Malaysians are important as local reference data in the daily clinical practice.
Koay
C L
CL
Department of Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine & Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Lim
J A
JA
Siar
C H
CH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005928:Glossitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005929:Glossitis, Benign Migratory / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D008035:Lingual Frenum / Q000002:abnormalities; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010859:Pigmentation Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D014059:Tongue / Q000002:abnormalities; D014060:Tongue Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D014063:Tongue, Fissured / Q000453:epidemiology; D014064:Tongue, Hairy / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult