Investigation of oral atopic diseases: Correlation between geographic tongue and fungiform papillary glossitis

Abstract

Introduction: The correlation between oral lesions and atopy is not new, but few studies have investigated the prevalence of mucosal changes in diseases within the atopic spectrum, leading to conflicting data. Some studies found a possible relationship between geographic tongue, transient lingual papillitis and atopic diseases.

Aim: To investigate the frequency of geographic tongue and fungiform papillary glossitis in patients with atopic diseases, and its correlation with serum IgE levels and skin test results.

Material and methods: The sample was comprised of participants with atopic diseases paired with participants who received negative puncture skin tests. All were submitted to stomatological and medical evaluations, prick test and oral cytopathological.

Results: The female sex was more numerous in both groups. Mean age was 21 years. A total of 60 diagnoses of atopic diseases were obtained, with allergic rhinitis being the most prevalent. Fungiform papillary glossitis was the most frequent oral lesion in both groups, while geographic tongue was present in 2 cases (2%) in the test group and 2 (2%) in the control group. Atopic patients with fungiform papillary glossitis presented high serum IgE levels. In atopic patients with geographic tongue, the prick test positively identified extracts of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (100%) and Dermatophagoides farinae (100%).

Conclusion: Due to the low frequency of geographic tongue lesions found in the study, it is no possible to conclude if that could be an oral manifestation of atopy. However fungiform papillary glossitis is a common alteration in atopic and non-atopic patients and has a relationship with high IgE serum levels. However, the consolidation of this result requires a larger sample size.

Keywords: Asthma; Atopic dermatitis; Atopic diseases; Geographic tongue; Oral manifestations; Rhinitis.