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Lingual Varicosities (Lingual Varices)

A fairly common condition of older people in which distended blood vessels are observed on the lingual tongue surface; once properly diagnosed, no treatment is necessary.

Dilated veins on the under surface (ventral) of the tongue may attract the attention of a dentist or dental hygienist conducting an oral cancer screening examination. Such varicose veins ("lingual varicosities") are relatively common and seem to increase with advancing age. Other than the fact that thrombi may form, the presences of lingual varicosities do not signal the presence of disease, systemic or otherwise.