COORDINATED MANAGEMENT AND ORAL RECOVERY ASSESSMENT IN WOMEN WITH IRON DEFICIENCY ANAEMIA AND ATROPHIC GLOSSITIS

The clinical burden of atrophic glossitis extends beyond an abnormal appearance of the tongue. Burning, tenderness and sensitivity to food can interfere with eating, speaking and everyday comfort. A woman may therefore seek dental care for a functional complaint while the underlying iron deficit is being assessed elsewhere. If the two care pathways remain disconnected, local symptoms may receive repeated treatment without adequate attention to the cause of deficiency, or systemic correction may be considered sufficient despite a persistent independent oral lesion.