The mucosa of the tongue harbors filiform papillae, fungiform papillae, foliaceous papillae, and circumvallate papillae. Filiform papillae predominate, covering the anterior two-thirds of the dorsum of the tongue [1]. We report a case of physiological papillomatosis of the filiform papillae.

	Figure 1: A clinical image showing a well-limited, pediculated, pink papule with a smooth surface sitting on the dorsal surface of the tongue.
	Figure 2: A dermoscopic image showing abundant and irregular linear vessels in the transparent nuclei of the papillae, as well as white shiny lines.

A 57-year-old female with no previous medical history presented herself with a slowly growing lesion on the tongue present for the last eight months. A clinical examination revealed a well-limited, pediculated, pink papule with a smooth surface sitting on the dorsal surface of the tongue. Dermoscopy revealed abundant and irregular linear vessels in the transparent nuclei of the papillae, as well as white shiny lines. In light of these findings, we suspected the diagnosis of physiological papillomatosis, which was confirmed by histology following the excision of the lesion.

REFERENCES

1. Walliczek-Dworschak U, Schöps F, Feron G, Brignot H, Hähner A, Hummel T. Differences in the density of fungiform papillae and composition of saliva in patients with taste disorders compared to healthy controls. Chem Senses. 2017;42:699-708.