A 64-year-old American got a green and hairy tongue after a combination of cigarettes and antibiotics. The case was reported by the scientific journal “New England Journal of Medicine”.
The individual sought medical treatment two weeks after noticing that his tongue had begun to change color. A smoker for many years, he had used an antibiotic called clindamycin to treat a periodontal infection.
According to the study published in the vehicle, this is a situation called “hairy tongue”, a benign condition caused by the accumulation of dead skin in various parts of the tongue. In this case, the taste buds become clogged and hairy in appearance. As for the greenish tint, it can be caused by bacteria or fungi.
Risk factors include smoking, dehydration, poor oral hygiene and antibiotic use. Although the background color is often black – in which case it is called black hairy tongue or villous tongue nigra – brown, yellow or green coloring is also possible.
Treatment
“The patient was advised to carefully brush the area four times a day and to stop smoking. When he returned after six months, his tongue had returned to normal, despite the fact that he had not given up smoking”, write doctors at Wright–Patterson Medical Center, in Ohio, in the published article.
Source: CNN Brasil
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