Fissured Tongue (Cracked Tongue): Causes and Care

A fissured tongue (also called a cracked or scrotal tongue) has one central groove, several side grooves, or a network of them across the top. The depth varies from faint lines to clefts a few millimetres deep. It is among the commonest variations of a normal tongue and usually painless.

It tends to be present from childhood or the teens and slowly becomes more marked with age. It often runs in families, and it is seen more often in people with geographic tongue, so the two can occur together.

For most people there is no cause beyond how their tongue developed. Dry mouth, smoking or tobacco use and some nutritional shortages can make the grooves more noticeable or sore. Rarely, a cracked, swollen tongue is part of a wider medical condition, which is why a new change that appears suddenly deserves a check. Other sore-mouth causes are in our mouth ulcers guide.

If the tongue is also red, smooth or burning, read about inflammation of the tongue. A dry mouth makes grooves worse, and our page on dry mouth explains the causes.

A fissured tongue itself needs no treatment. The aim is to keep the grooves clean so they do not become sore or smelly. Brush the top of the tongue gently with a soft toothbrush or a tongue cleaner every day, working from back to front, and rinse well after meals. Drink water through the day.

Spicy, acidic or salty food can sting in deep grooves, so ease off while it is sore. Trapped debris is a common reason for a coating or a bad taste, and our guide on a tongue scraper for bad breath covers how to clean the tongue safely. Yeast can grow in the grooves: tongue infection explains the signs, and treatment for it is prescribed by a dentist or doctor.

Get the tongue checked if the grooves are painful, bleed, smell or taste bad despite cleaning, or if you see white or red patches. An ulcer, a patch or a lump that has not healed in about two to three weeks needs checking by a dentist or doctor, particularly if you chew gutka, paan or areca nut or smoke.

Sudden tongue swelling, or any difficulty swallowing or breathing, is an emergency: go to a hospital emergency department at once.