One day, my mother brought her 2-year-old little girl to the outpatient clinic for treatment: I don’t know what’s wrong with my daughter’s tongue recently? The skin "peeled off" one after another, and it looked like a "flowery tongue". I wanted to laugh but couldn't.

A friend told me that it is a "geographic tongue" and does not block eating or drinking, so I don't need to worry about it at all.

Some friends say that geoglobulin causes internal heat, so eat some chrysanthemum and mint that can reduce internal heat. It may also be due to zinc deficiency, and you need to take supplements early in the morning.

Oh, there are so many folk methods and "materials". Who is right? Is "geographic tongue" a disease? Not a disease?

As long as parents with children have already started discussions in the "circle" without any conclusion, why is there no conclusion? Because no one knows who is correct, they want to find the all-powerful "Baidu" for answers. Oh, there is also "a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contend" in it, so parents really don't know who to listen to, so they simply treat it as "Children's Tongue" Get on the map”—just let it go.

Not long after, the map on the tip of the tongue came back, and parents began to feel uneasy, especially when their children ate food that had flavor, as if they had "stuck a hornet's nest" and would immediately suffer from pain. After crying and making peace, I stopped eating for a while.

In fact, many parents have had this experience, and it is normal, because after all, 15% of children have geographic tongue. Is geographic tongue a disease? What causes it? Today we will learn more about children's geographic tongue based on textbooks and authoritative experts in the field of pediatrics:

To understand geographic tongue, let us first understand what the tongue (commonly known as the tongue) that people "use" every day has. What does it do?

Parents will say, asking such a pediatric question: Eat and talk! But when asked why? Not everyone may know it. In fact, there is a lot of knowledge about the tongue:

The composition of the tongue: The tongue is soft and light red in appearance, with a light white, thin coating on the surface; the tongue is located at the bottom of the center of the mouth, and has three parts. It consists of tongue base, tongue body and tongue tip.

1. The tongue surface mucosa: It is covered with many tiny protrusions of varying thicknesses called lingual papillae, which are composed of filiform papillae and fungiform papillae.

Filamentous papillae: It is a layer of velvet-like papillary mucous membrane covering the surface of the tongue; it helps in chewing, swallowing and pronunciation.

Fungiform papillae: Although the number is small, they are scattered among the filamentous papillae. The fungiform papillae are mainly located on the tip and lateral edges of the tongue. They are reddish in color, appear as round protrusions, and have thin epithelium. , the surface layer has no keratinization, and the blood vessels are rich and red. There are "taste buds" (positional receptors) in the epithelium of the fungiform papillae, which have the function of taste perception. The tongue can feel hot and cold stimulation and sour, sweet, bitter and spicy. "China on the Tip of the Tongue" generally states that food is felt by the "taste buds" of the tongue. . When multiple fungiform papillae proliferate, swell, and become congested, the surface of the tongue becomes strawberry-shaped, which is called strawberry tongue, which is a typical feature of "scarlet fever".

When both fungiform papillae and filiform papillae atrophy, causing the tongue papillae to disappear and become smooth and flaky, as flat as a mirror, it is called smooth tongue or mirror tongue.

2. Glossary muscle: It is composed of skeletal muscles. The skeletal muscles have motor functions and are therefore flexible. The tongue's activities in the oral cavity are very flexible; for example, it can Perform tongue extension and curling, abduction and adduction activities. Therefore, the tongue can participate in chewing and swallowing food, and at the same time, under the coordination of the language center, it can help pronounce and speak.

3. The mucosa under the tongue: Thin and smooth. There is a layer of mucosal wrinkles in the center under the tongue that is connected to the bottom of the mouth and is called the tongue tie. It also participates in fixation and speech functions.

Geographic tongue:

There are many transparent epithelial cells on the surface of the filamentous papillae of the tongue mucosa, which often naturally keratinize and peel off. For some reasons, the filiform papillae will shrink and the tongue The surface of the tongue will show bare mucosa without papillae, giving the back of the tongue a map-like appearance. In other words, geographic tongue is a chronic, marginally exfoliative oral and tongue mucosal disease that occurs on the superficial layer of tongue mucosa. Because its lesions appear in different parts of the tongue surface, can change size and shape, and have the characteristics of migration, it is also called migratory glossitis.

Geographic tongue is more common in children, especially infants and young children between 6 months and 3 years old. Why?

This is directly related to the causes of geographic tongue: The cause of geographic tongue is not very clear yet. Many experts believe that it may be related to the child's genetics, immunity, nutrition, gastrointestinal function, etc.; It may also be related to the imperfect development of the nervous system of infants and young children, mood swings, etc.:

1. Genetic factors: After relevant statistical analysis, if the parents have a history of geographic tongue, then the child will have geographic tongue. The probability will be relatively high; many cases have shown that geographic tongue has a certain heritability and is positively correlated with heredity.

2. Immune factors: It is one of the main causes of geographic tongue. If a child is born with poor physical fitness, malnutrition, and anemia, the immunity will always be low, which often causes various infections and allergic diseases. , causing the appearance of "geographic tongue".

3. Gastrointestinal dysfunction and parasites: After a child is born, due to his weak constitution and poor appetite, he sometimes cannot feed or is picky about food and loves to eat snacks; he often suffers from gastrointestinal dysfunction such as vomiting, Diarrhea or constipation, and parasites in the gastrointestinal tract are often accompanied by the appearance of geographic tongue.

4. Vitamin deficiency and anemia: After investigation, children with geographic tongue are often accompanied by symptoms of vitamin B deficiency, such as loss of appetite, easy fatigue, pale nail beds, repeated oral ulcers and eczema.

Warm Tip 1: Professor Zhang Silai, a national expert in the Ministry of Health’s “Early Childhood Comprehensive Development” project, and Professor Bao Xiulan from Peking Union Medical College Hospital believe that there are many reasons for geographic tongue It is very clear that it may be related to heredity, intestinal parasites or gastrointestinal dysfunction; it may also be related to the underdevelopment of children's nervous system and mood swings. Some articles say that geographic tongue is caused by "zinc deficiency" and "excessive heat" in babies, but there is no specific scientific basis for this. Therefore, it is recommended that mothers should not immediately "replenish zinc" and "get angry" when their children have geographic tongue.

Mucosal lesions of geographic tongue generally have no subjective symptoms. When the tongue surface is peeled off to a large extent, discomfort or slight pain may occur after eating spicy or hot food. Some children with fissured tongues may also experience discomfort or slight pain after eating spicy or hot food. It can be seen that there are deep and curved grooves on the back of the tongue:

Location of tongue surface peeling: In infants and young children, graphic tongue often occurs at the tip of the tongue, the center of the tongue, and both sides of the tongue edge.

Appearance of round erythema and yellow-white bumps: The peeling "patterns" are mostly round or oval erythema, which can be single or multiple, and can expand or merge into sheets. After fusion, It looks like the "border of a map", with a white-yellow slightly raised arc-shaped edge on the periphery, and a fiery red filiform papillary exfoliation area in the middle, but the fungiform papillae remain unchanged.

The location of the lesion is migratory: the map often exhibits migratory exfoliation, and it is easy to change the shape and location of the "map" quickly. Mild pain and discomfort in the mouth: There are no obvious symptoms of geographic tongue, but there may be slight discomfort sometimes, especially if you are sensitive to sour and spicy foods.

Oral thrush: When a child suffers from severe geographic tongue, oral infection will occur, such as thrush caused by Candida infection. There will be white attachments in the oral cavity that are difficult to wipe off. . Some individuals also cause oral ulcers.

Vitamin B deficiency and deficiency anemia: If the child has a long-term loss of appetite, is prone to fatigue, is pale, has oral ulcers, or has recurring eczema.

Gastrointestinal disorders: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. If you have intestinal parasites, you may experience teeth grinding, abdominal pain, etc.

According to relevant data, geographic tongue is a common oral disease in infants and young children. Most of the oral mucosa with geographic tongue only has mild symptoms of discomfort. The mucosa at the exfoliation site increases with age. It can be repaired by itself and is self-limiting, so parents do not need to worry too much. Once "geographic tongue" is discovered, they can take their children to the hospital for examination first. If the geographic tongue is large and accompanied by symptoms, treatment is required.

? Oral treatment and care: The oral cavity should be kept clean and hygienic, and insist on "brushing teeth and gargling" every morning and after feeding (meal). Map tongue should be brushed from the back of the tongue with a special soft-bristled brush for infants and young children. Gently brush 1 to 2 times to remove the exfoliated epithelial tissue, and then rinse your mouth with 0.5 sodium bicarbonate solution. For thrush and oral ulcers, medications should be used to control the infection under the doctor's advice.

? Treatment of food taboos: Geographical tongue is an oral problem on the surface. In fact, we should treat both the symptoms and the symptoms. At this time, do not feed your child sour, spicy, or overheated foods to avoid worsening of oral pain, oral ulcers, and even aggravation of geographic tongue.

You should also avoid eating foods with food additives, flavorings, and high salt; do not eat cold food, spices, flavors, colorants, thickeners, emulsifiers, sweeteners and other food additives to avoid Increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract.

? Treatment of accompanying symptoms: If the child has gastrointestinal disorders, be sure to observe whether the child is dehydrated: such as less urine, less tears when crying, and reduced skin elasticity. In this case, you should go to the hospital. Oral rehydration is given under the guidance of a doctor, and the doctor will cooperate with the doctor to check stool routine and look for eggs before deworming treatment.

If a child has iron deficiency anemia, iron supplements should be supplemented in time to correct the anemia, because anemia is more harmful to the child's growth and development. If a child shows signs of vitamin B deficiency, supplementation and treatment should be provided in time.

1. Reasonable dietary nutrition: Children should start to add complementary foods after six months. Pay attention to the principles of complementary foods for children: from less to more, from fine to thick, from thin to thick, from one to multiple types, gradually increase. Pay attention to the reasonable combination of various cereals, meats, vegetables, and fruits. Develop the habit of not being picky or picky about food from an early age to ensure a balanced intake of nutrients.

2. Develop good living habits from an early age, go to bed early and get up early: Children should be ensured to have sufficient sleep time, have a regular daily life, do appropriate outdoor activities and sports, and continuously enhance their physical fitness.

3. Keep your mouth clean: Develop the hygiene habit of rinsing your mouth and rinsing your teeth before and after meals from an early age to keep your mouth clean and hygienic.

4. Do not give your children food that is sour, spicy, or overheated: This may cause oral pain, oral ulcers, or even aggravation of geographic tongue.

In summary: Infantile geographic tongue is a common disease in children’s oral cavity. The cause of the disease is not clear. Most geographic tongue is mild and can heal on its own with age; but if the geographic tongue area is It continues to grow, or is accompanied by other systemic diseases such as oral infections (thrush, ulcers), gastrointestinal disorders, nutritional anemia and vitamin deficiency. At this time, complications must be actively treated under the guidance of a doctor. In addition, the key to geographic tongue is prevention and oral hygiene care. You must have a reasonable diet and nutrition, maintain oral hygiene, and develop the habit of brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth from an early age.