Your patients’ unique tongue prints

Recent research from The University of Edinburgh has studied the unique surface of the tongue. It used artificial intelligence (AI) to gain an improved understanding of the papillae. The key outcomes of this study focused on personalised nutrition, recognising the anatomical reasons why people enjoy eating chocolate, for example, and aiming to help professionals find and promote healthy alternatives to different patients. However, another benefit of recognising people’s unique tongue prints was brought to light – monitoring for abnormal growths.

This technology combined with AI is still in development, however, this key takeaway is valuable for many clinicians. The ability for professionals and patients to recognise unique tongue anatomy will help them to notice anything out of the ordinary, like changes in colour and texture or pain, early on. Additionally, by adopting tools which are readily available on the market to assist in pre-diagnostic testing, clinicians can offer advice and referrals with confidence.