define geographic tongue
GEOGRAPHIC TONGUE. Definition. Geographic tongue is a fairly common, usually painless inflammatory disorder that affects. mainly the dorsum of the tongue. The pattern of the lesions give the surface of the tongue. the appearance of a map, hence the term Â«geographicÂ». Since the first description in 1831,
Geographic tongue is a disorder that affects the tongueâs surface. Tongues are normally covered with pinkish-white, tiny bumps known as papillae. With those individuals with geographic tongue there are areas of the tongue surface that are missing papillae and instead appear as red, smooth patches sometime with borders that are slightly raised. These areas or lesions often make the tongue look like a map, or geographic appearance.