Dental 4 Less, Physicists shed light on geographic tongue
Physicists from Israel have shed light on the intricate dynamics underpinning a mysterious tongue condition that has been puzzling the medical community for decades.
Known as geographic tongue (GT), the condition affects around two per cent of the population and is characterised by evolving red patches on the surface of the tongue that— as the name suggests—can have a map-like resemblance.
In their study published today, 1 April, in the Institute of Physics and German Physical Society’s New Journal of Physics, the researchers performed a number of numerical simulations to closely examine and visualise the development of the condition, and have devised a new way of identifying the severity of individual cases.
It is hoped the research will lead to a practical assessment that doctors can use to diagnose GT, as well as inspire further research to ultimately find out what causes the condition.