Fissured Tongue among Patients Visiting the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology in a Tertiary Care Centre.

INTRODUCTION: Examination of the tongue and knowledge of its variation can aid clinicians in correctly assessing the cause of a patient's complaint. Despite World Health Organization recommendations to encourage more epidemiological assessment of oral mucosal variations and lesions, the volume of literature in this area is limited. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of fissured tongues among patients visiting the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology in a tertiary care centre.

METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients visiting the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology in a tertiary care centre. Data was collected from 12 March 2023 to 10 May 2023 after obtaining ethical approval from the same institute. A convenience sampling method was used. The point estimate was calculated at a 95% Confidence Interval.

RESULTS: Out of 540 patients, the prevalence of fissured tongue was 73 (13.51%) (10.63-16.40, 95% Confidence Interval). A total of 34 (46.57%) were males and 39 (53.42%) were females.

CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of fissured tongue among patients visiting the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology was higher than other studies done in similar settings.

KEYWORDS: anatomic variation; fissured tongue; Nepal; oral mucosa; prevalence.