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Black hairy tongue syndrome (BHT [4]) is a condition of the tongue in which the small bumps on the tongue elongate with black or brown discoloration, giving a black and hairy appearance. The appearance may be alarming, but it is a harmless condition.
There is a similarity between this appearance and that of hairy leukoplakia, linea alba and leukoedema. [2] In people with human immunodeficiency virus , who are at higher risk of oral hairy leukoplakia, a tissue biopsy may be required to differentiate between this and frictional keratosis from cheek and tongue chewing.
Smokeless tobacco keratosis (STK) [4] is a condition which develops on the oral mucosa (the lining of the mouth) in response to smokeless tobacco use. Generally it appears as a white patch, located at the point where the tobacco is held in the mouth. The condition usually disappears once the tobacco habit is stopped.
A case study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine is raising awareness about a condition being referred to as 'black hairy tongue.'
Smoker melanosis in a patient consuming 2 packs of cigarette per day. Smoking or the use of nicotine-containing drugs is the cause to Smoker's melanosis. [10] [11] Tar-components (benzopyrenes) are also known to stimulate melanocytes to melanin production, and other unknown toxic agents in tobacco may also be the cause.
Tobacco smoking or chewing is the most common causative factor, [29] with more than 80% of persons with leukoplakia having a positive smoking history. [1] Smokers are much more likely to develop leukoplakia than non-smokers. [ 1 ]
Tongue lesions are more common in persons who wear dentures and tobacco users. [10] The most common tongue conditions are geographic tongue, followed by fissured tongue and hairy tongue. [ 10 ]
It is a very common oral condition and affects 13% of the world population. It is often due to poor oral hygiene which leads to accumulation of oral bacteria and build up of keratin on the tongue surface. Black hairy tongue can also be associated with the use of certain medications such as antibiotics, prolonged coffee/tea drinking habit, or ...