Abstract

The human tongue is a muscular, vital organ encased within the oral cavity that performs multiple actions. It is the least understood structures of the body and its complex anatomy is one of the reasons for the relative lack of research on it. Research on the tongue helps to enlighten individuals on the evaluation of tongue patterns (tongue shape and tongue size) but among Rivers State Students in Rivers State University. For this purpose, a camera was used for taking pictures of the tongue to identify the shape and a software (Adobe Photoshop Software) used for measurement of the tongue to know the size (inter-canine width and inter-molar width), questionnaires for participant’s data and consent form which was also administered. Statistical analysis using independent t-test, chi-square, and descriptive statistics tool was carried out with the aid of SPSS version 28. Results showed that the predominant tongue shape among Rivers State Students in Rivers State University is the triangular tongue shape with a proportion of 24.5% while the irregular tongue shape (0.4%) is the least of all tongue shape. The mean inter-canine and inter- molar width were 142.35±1.97mm 151.99±2.04mm respectively. The result of the study showed that inter-canine tongue width showed a significant difference between college and non-college participants with non-college having a higher mean value (149.3±2.36mm) P = 0.001 at 95% Confidence Interval and the most prevalent tongue shape was triangular while the least tongue shape is irregular.