Black Hairy Tongue – Is It Harmful?
Introduction Hairy tongue is a condition wherein you observe defective peeling of the threadlike papillae on your tongue that is caused by various factors. This condition is commonly referred to as black hairy tongue; however, it is not necessary that it appears only in black color. It could appear in brown, pink, white or green and this depends on the specific reason for this appearance and also other factors like use of breath mints, color mouthwashes, candies etc. This disorder occurs in 8.3% of children and 57% of young adults living in United States. The young adults are mainly affected due to drug addiction and incarceration. Frequency of occurrence of this problem is high on men. Persons, who use tobacco, drink coffee and tea heavily, HIV patients and persons using intravenous drugs are susceptible for getting hairy tongue. Symptoms The symptoms of black hairy tongue are as follows: • Bad breath/ halitosis • Choking sensation in certain persons • Tongue discoloration – tongue ap
