The Relationship between Geographic Tongue and Stress

Geographic tongue (GT) is a fairly common and usually asymptomatic disorder that is often detected on routine dental examinations. Characteristic lesions appear as multiple, well-demarcated zones of erythema, concentrated at the tip and lateral borders of tongue. Although the etiology of the condition is unknown, it may be related to stress. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between GT and stress. This study was performed on 60 patients with GT and 60 patients without GT. All the patients filled a questionnaire and a psychologist evaluted them. The total mean score of stress was 19.8 in GT group and 15.8 in the control group. According to the results, there is an association between stress and GT. Decreasing stress in GT patients can lead to the healing of the lesion. Other factors that may be associated with GT should be studied in future.