Geographic Tongue
Current as of: October 3, 2018
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP – Emergency Medicine & Adam Husney, MD – Family Medicine & Martin J. Gabica, MD – Family Medicine
Geographic tongue occurs when patches of the rough surface (papillae) of the tongue disappear, sometimes rapidly. The absence of papillae makes those parts of the tongue appear to look like a map, with smooth, bright red areas. The cause of geographic tongue is not known, although it could be linked with allergies. In…