Dental Did You Know: The Nerves Regulating Taste

The sensation of taste is mediated by 3 cranial nerves:

1. The facial nerve (VII)
2. The Glossopharyngeal nerve (IX)
3. The Vagus nerve (X)

Source: Klasser G et al, Taste Change Associated with a Dental Procedure: Case Report and Review of the Literature, JCDA, June 2008, Vol 74, No 5, pg 455-460.

Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Dental Did You Know: Sensory Innervation of the Tongue

The trigeminal nerve (V) provides general sensory innervation to the tongue.

Source: Klasser G et al, Taste Change Associated with a Dental Procedure: Case Report and Review of the Literature, JCDA, June 2008, Vol 74, No 5, pg 455-460.


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100

Periodontal Disease and Tongue Cancer

Hi everyone,

I saw this breaking story on gum disease and tongue cancer over the newswires. I decided to quote the Globe and Mail: Chronic gum disease linked to risk of tongue cancer

If the risk of losing all your teeth to gum disease isn't incentive enough, researchers have found another preventative reason to brush and floss religiously — tongue cancer.

Researchers at the University of Buffalo and Roswell Park Cancer Institute say they have found a possible link between long-standing periodontitis, or gum disease, and the risk of developing tongue cancer.

The study, published in the May issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology, found the risk of tongue cancer due to chronic periodontal disease increased fivefold with every millimetre of lost alveolar bone — the bone in the jaw that holds teeth in place.

... After adjusting for potential effects of age, smoking status and the number of existing teeth, researchers found that the men with chronic gum disease were 5.2 times (my emphasis) more likely to have tongue cancer with every millimetre of bone loss than those without gum disease.

Yikes! Yet another reason to keep great oral hygiene and regular visits to your dental office.

Take care,


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100