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. 2015 Sep 1;20(5):e560-5.
doi: 10.4317/medoral.20556.

Clinical features and histological description of tongue lesions in a large Northern Italian population

Alessio Gambino  1 , Mario Carbone, Paolo-Giacomo Arduino, Marco Carrozzo, Davide Conrotto, Carlotta Tanteri, Lucio Carbone, Alessandra Elia, Zaira Maragon, Roberto Broccoletti
Affiliations

Clinical features and histological description of tongue lesions in a large Northern Italian population

Alessio Gambino et al. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal. .

Abstract

Background: Only few studies on tongue lesions considered sizable populations, and contemporary literature does not provide a valid report regarding the epidemiology of tongue lesions within the Italian population. In this report, the histopathological and clinical appearance of 1.106 tongue lesions from northern Italians are described and discussed.

Material and methods: The case records of patients referred for the diagnosis and management of tongue lesions, from October 1993 to October 2013, were reviewed. Histological data were also obtained and blindly re-examined.

Results: For instance, a biopsy performed on a lingual ulcer has a strong predicting association with a carcinoma, whereas a biopsy on a white lesion predicts for a leukoplakia or oral lichen planus. Moreover, a biopsy of erosion is representative of bullous diseases, whereas a biopsy on a verrucous-papillary lesion is significant for fibroma. Furthermore, carcinomas occur in the majority of cases on the lingual edge or pelvis, oral lichen planus is mainly seen on the edge, and fibromas mostly on the lingual tip.

Conclusions: The high frequency of tongue involvement of such different diseases emphasizes the importance of histological characterization and that some diseases occur more frequently than others, with a peculiar clinical aspect and a more common area. In fact our survey can help the clinician in advancing diagnostic hypothesis, on the basis of the elementary lesion and its site of involvement.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Oral lichen planus in dorsum of toungue.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Vulgar Pemphigus in pelvis of toungue.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Squamous cell carcinoma in border toungue.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Leukoplakia with mild dysplasia in border toungue.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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