tongue It itches; it flakes, and it‘s unwelcome. Psoriasis is an auto-immune inflammatory condition that runs in families. It could be running across your mouth as well. Recently made notable by Kim Kardashian, psoriasis only affects about three percent of the world population. If you’re in that three percent and develop it, especially in your mouth, it can be annoying at best and scary at worst. An equal opportunity disorder, it affects men and women equally and often doesn’t show up until a person is in their 20s or 30s.
While we primarily think of psoriasis as a dry skin condition, it can appear anywhere in the moist oral cavity. Commonly seen on the top of the tongue, it resembles the inflammatory condition known as geographic tongue, which consists of bare patches outlined by a thin white or yellow line, like outlining the continents on the globe.
On the cheek, lip, gums, palate or floor of the mouth, oral psoriasis can be irregularly-shaped, flat or raised, red or white patches or even ulcers. It’s no surprise that if you have psoriasis in your mouth you probably have it on other parts of your body. The exact cause is unknown. There are several likely factors, such as stress, trauma or infection. The episodes come and go, and some episodes are more severe than others.exam
It is fairly easy to diagnose, especially when we have your complete family medical history. We might need to take a biopsy to rule out other conditions. The good news is that oral psoriasis is not cancer, nor does it permanently damage your oral tissues. It usually goes away on its own without treatment. Most importantly, anytime you notice something unusual in your mouth, please see us immediately so we can check it out.
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