Moeller's glossitis

glossitis

(glo-sit'is) [ glosso- + -itis] An inflammation of the tongue.

acute glossitis

Glossitis that develops in hours or days, often associated with stomatitis. The tongue is painful, red, inflamed, and swollen. It may appear smooth or be covered with papular lesions. Fever may be present.

Etiology

It may be associated with diabetes mellitus, bacterial infections, candidal infections, adverse drug reactions, smoking, and trauma to the tongue. Surrounding structures may be swollen sufficiently to produce asphyxia. Tracheostomy may be necessary to maintain the airway.

Treatment

The underlying disorder must be treated. In order to maintain oral cleanliness, patients should rinse the mouth with an anesthetic oral solution, such as 2% xylocaine.

glossitis areata exfoliativa

A condition of the tongue marked by numerous denuded patches on the dorsal surface coalescing into freeform shapes similar to the geographic areas on a map. Synonym: geographic tongue

glossitis desiccans

A painful, raw, and fissured tongue.

herpetic geometric glossitis

Herpes simplex virus type 1 infection of the tongue. This may be seen in immunocompromised patients. High-dose acyclovir is an effective treatment.

median rhomboid glossitis

An inflammatory area, somewhat diamond-shaped, found on the dorsum of the tongue anterior to the vallate papillae.