title: Investigation of the clinical features of geographic tongue: unveiling its relationship with oral psoriasis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have examined the clinical features of geographic tongue (GT), an inflammatory lesion, making diagnosis and the investigation of oral psoriasis difficult.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinical features of GT to facilitate its identification and understand its relationship with psoriasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 96 participants diagnosed with GT underwent stomatological and dermatological examinations. The parameters assessed were burning sensation; number, classification, and location of lesions; loss of papillae; severity of GT lesions; and association with fissured tongue (FT). Psoriatic patients (PS) and those without psoriasis (NPS) were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Burning sensation was reported by 45 (47%) patients, 67 (70%) patients showed active GT, 68 (71%) presented with typical lesions, and 59 (61%) exhibited moderate lesions. GT was associated with FT in 75% of the cases and exhibited a diffused pattern associated with severe lesions. It was also more frequent in the PS group. The comparative analysis between the PS and NPS groups showed significant differences between the groups with regard to gender, presence of burning sensation, and GT severity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GT is a symptomatic lesion with a thick halo. In contrast, psoriatic patients are frequently asymptomatic and exhibit severe lesions with greater loss of papillae that are associated with severe FT. The present study is the first to demonstrate clinical differences in the GT of patients with and without psoriasis, suggesting that some GT cases may represent true oral psoriasis and some cases may represent only GT.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Pathology, School of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruna
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7592-1785
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Picciani
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Pathology, School of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vanessa de Carla
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Pathology, School of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thays
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Teixeira-Souza
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Pathology, School of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lívia Maria
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Izahias
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Pathology, School of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Áquila
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Curty
authors.affiliation: Institute of Dermatology Rubem David Azulay, Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Avelleira
authors.affiliation: Institute of Dermatology Rubem David Azulay, Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Azulay
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Sector of Dermatology, Medical Clinic Department, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sueli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Pathology, School of Medicine, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eliane
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dias
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005929:Glossitis, Benign Migratory / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014063:Tongue, Fissured / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult