Tongue Lesions and their Risk Factors among Yemeni Patients

Tongue diagnosis helps considerably in diagnosing the underlying health state of the patient especially in the cases of chronic diseases. It has been considered a good indicator of systemic diseases. The baseline data on tongue lesions is important for oral health planning and educational programs and is of clinical and therapeutic importance for oral/ dental health care providers. Tongue lesions have been studied worldwide because the tongue is an important indicator of the oral and general health, in Yemen the level of the awareness of population about the oral health is low and many social habits are common among male, female, young, and adults. So this is the first study on Yemeni dental outpatients assessing the prevalence and association of tongue lesions with their risk factors among Yemeni dental patients and it aims to assess the prevalence of tongue lesions in Yemeni patients, and determine the associated risk factors. General practitioners should emphasize on the importance of tongue examination and hygiene. It is hoped that the results from this study will lead to similar works on a more nationwide scale in Yemen.