Lingual primary tuberculosis mimicking malignancy

INTRODUCTION: The constant increase in the incidence of tuberculosis, as long as the emerging global resistance to antituberculous drugs warrants an increased awareness of the possibility of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in persistent lesions of the oral cavity. Lingual tuberculosis is a rarely described entity of extra pulmonary tuberculosis. It usually presents as a non-healing chronic mucosal lesion that may mimic malignant lingual neoplasms. CASE REPORT: In the present paper, we report a rare presentation of lingual tuberculosis in a 36 years old woman, which was clinically suspected as an extensive malignant fissure of the tongue. The diagnosis was confirmed by tongue biopsy and the patient responded well to the antitubercular chemotherapy. DISCUSSION: lingual tuberculosis is a rare clinical and pathological entity of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Only a few cases have been reported around the world, and in each one of them, a unique clinical form has been described. This variability of clinical presentations can allude to several pathological conditions including malignancy. CONCLUSION: This case report is a documentation of a unique clinical and radiological presentation of lingual tuberculosis; it also highlights the importance of considering tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis of chronic tongue lesions.