Effective Treatment for Small Red Spots on Tongue and Its Causes

The tongue is normally pink and has a unified shade. It can be a cause for concern when it appears patchy or when it changes in appearance.

• ‘Strawberry Tongue’ is a common descriptive term for a tongue with small red patches

• It can be caused by a number of conditions

• It is important to seek medical attention when this is observed in order for it to be treated appropriately

Small Red Spots on the Tongue Causes

Here are some of the most common causes of Strawberry Tongue in kids and in adults.

• Scarlet Fever

• Vitamin Deficiency (B Vitamins)

• Geographic Tongue

• Bacterial Toxic Shock Syndrome

Oral Candidiasis or an Oral Yeast Infection may also cause a patchy tongue, but it mostly appears as white patches. Kawasaki disease may also lead to a strawberry tongue.

Scarlet Fever

• This is a result of a streptococcus infection

• Not every child or adult who comes in contact with the causative agent develops the fever

• It can start off as a sore throat

• Aside from the red dots on the tongue, patients with Scarlet Fever will also have a red rash that’s tarts from the neck and spreads to other areas of the body

• Other symptoms include fever and swollen lymph nodes

Vitamin Deficiency

• Deficiency in Vitamin B-12 and other B vitamins can lead to a strawberry tongue

• It can lead to anemia and this affects the production of red blood cells

• Red dots on the tongue is one of the symptoms of deficiency

Geographic Tongue

• This can be painful, but it can also be asymptomatic other than the changes in the appearance of the tongue

• Red dots can appear on the surface of the tongue, but patients may also notice lines and patches on the tongue

• The exact cause is not known, but it is believed to be familial in some way

• It is more common in women than in men

Treatment for Small Red Spots on Tongue

Effectively treating the condition is going to depend on what is causing the red spots. Some treatments that may be prescribed include:

• Antibacterial medication – given to scarlet fever and to patients with bacterial toxic shock

• Diet improvement/Vitamin Supplements – for patients who have B-vitamin deficiencies

• Supportive treatments are also common prescribed, especially when kids are the ones suffering from the condition. These treatments include:

  • Antipyretics

  • Fluid therapy

  • Pain medication

  • Rest

  • Isolation – for patients who have Scarlet Fever

• There may also be some specified treatments for patients who have Kawasaki Disease and Toxic Shock Syndrome