Tongue: Aspects of Posterior Third and Clinical Implication

Rosa Maria Lourenço Carlos MAIA, Andrea REIS-COSTA, Maria Fernanda MARTINS-ORTIZ, Alberto CONSOLARO

A female patient examining and comparing her tongue with other family members, due to greater lingual extensibility in the anterior direction, worried about her normal structures in the posterior third of the tongue. The structures she worried about were the vallate papillae and the irregular surface of the posterior third, usually not visible in a routine mouth exam. The patient believed she had oral cancer. The patient regained her tranquility after being told that her tongue was normal although it presented a greater capacity to extend outwards.

Keywords: Tongue. Extensibility. Vallate papillae.

Saturday, November 23, 2024 08:55