Related articles: Black language
Definition
The black tongue is a symptom that recognizes various causes.
First of all, a blackish coloring of the lingual surface may depend on poor oral hygiene, the ingestion of certain foods (eg licorice or coffee sweets), breathing through the mouth and the habit of smoking or chewing tobacco.
The blackish coloring of the tongue can also reveal an excessive use of mouthwash containing oxidizing agents (such as hydrogen peroxide) or astringent substances, such as witch hazel or menthol. In some cases, however, this manifestation is the result of a reaction to some drugs, such as antibiotics and antidiarrheal substances containing bismuth subsalicylate.
The black tongue is also observed in subjects who undergo chemo- or radiotherapy for the treatment of various forms of head and neck cancer.
A greenish or dark brown mucosa with filaments that resemble hairs also manifests itself in the presence of a benign and self-limiting oral condition known as the villosa nigra tongue . In this context, the filiform papillae are abnormally hypertrophic and elongated on the surface of the tongue, therefore they tend to trap food residues and microorganisms, which tend to proliferate excessively. This condition favors the infection of a fungus, Aspergillus niger, which can develop when the oral bacterial flora is altered. Factors that favor the nigra villosa tongue are prolonged use of local antiseptics or broad-spectrum antibiotics, poor salivation, chronic dryness of the mouth (xerostomia), unsatisfactory oral hygiene and immunodeficiency states.
The surface of the tongue appears blackish even in the presence of poorly controlled diabetes.
Possible Causes * of Black Tongue
- AIDS
- Diabetes
- Sjögren syndrome
