Prevalence of tongue alterations in a group of patients with Down Syndrome

Abstract

Introduction: The patient with Down Syndrome DS frequently presents tongue alterations. The most common are fissured tongue and macroglossia. The prevalence percentages in both cases are important and both conditions could be decisive in the development of reactive lesions. Methods: It was controlled cross-sectional study, conducted in May 2018 in a Special needs school “Apoye” located in Caracas.35 children with DS were included. Demographic data such as age and gender were recorded and the presence of macroglossia, fissured tongue, geographic tongue and irritation fibromas. Results: DS had a high prevalence of macroglossia (40%) and fissure tongue (65.7%). Conversely, geographic tongue and irritation fibroma were found in 5.7% and 11.4% respectively. Geographic tongue was similar in both males and females. However, Macroglossia, Fissured tongue and traumatic fibroma were more prevalent in females. There were statistical significant between macroglossia and traumatic fibroma (p = 0.019) and the presence of macroglossia and fissure tongue (p = 0.010). Conclusions: Fissured tongue and macroglossia are the most prevalent alterations in DS patient. It is important to identify the factors associated with them early in order to design corrective measures and avoid future complications. Recibido: 30/3/2023 Aceptado: 19/5/202