Furrowed Tongue/Birth defect?

[elbow100]

My husband has a furrowed tongue and no other abnormalities.  I researched this a bit and found that a lot of people with downs syndrome have this trait.  We are thinking of starting a family and I am wondering if he is a carrier of some type of chromosomal abnormality or if it is just a random trait some people have.  Also...he does not have ANY information on his paternal side.  Is it likely that my children will have this trait?  Will it raise their likelyhood having an abnormaility?

Thanks

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

It may be genetic, but there is no pathology associated with it. I am not a geneticist and could not comment on any chromosomal abnormality associated with furrowed tongue. I would say that this type of tongue must be cleaned more seriously than a normal tongue. Food particles can collect in the sulci and produce an inflammatory response.

[gumdoc]

A fissured tongue, or scrotal tongue, is a relatively common finding.  It is generally not a problem, though some patients complain of increaed sensitivity (such as to sour/spicy foods).  It can be related to certain syndromes, but often times it is idiopathic.