The mouth is of course the first aspect of the digestive system. No other organ within the mouth receives as much attention as the tongue and when it comes to digestive system disorders of the mouth, illnesses of the tongue are inevitably examined first and foremost. There are several conditions identified:

1. Quite common are the white lesion that are found on the mucous membranes of the mouth but also the sides of the tongue. If this condition is noted underneath the tongue, there is a risk of cancer, while those closer to the top of the tongue stem from the use of tobacco in its various incarnations. In some cases the teeth are to blame for irritating the skin and thus form the lesions. In the latter case, the lesions will disappear within a few short days.

2. When the tongue is swollen, there is usually an infection at work. In some cases a vitamin B deficiency may be to blame while in other cases it may be the already advanced case of anemia. The swollen tongue of course disables the primary function of the mouth - chewing and swallowing - thus affecting digestive system disorders in a plethora of ways.

3. Yeast infections of the tongue are more common in children - especially infants - but adults are also known to become infected. In this case the digestive system disorder is brought on in part by lifestyle choices (such as smoking) and in part by potentially other, more dangerous, digestive system disorders further down the line, such as an inability to properly digest foods containing vitamin A or iron. Treated as a fungus, the yeast infection as well as secondary causes must be treated within the gastrointestinal tract.

4. It is noteworthy that the formation of little red bumps on the tongue is actually related to problems in the digestive system that are further along, such as stomach problems but also esophageal ailments.

As the tongue is essential in the workings of the mouth and in the delivery of the food sustenance to the esophagus, problems associated with it are generally taken very seriously within the bodily systems and it is not unusual for the entire body to go on a full fledged systemic alert when this little organ is suffering from an illness. People, unfortunately, appear to be lacking in their understanding of the importance associated with a healthy tongue and a testament to this problem is of course the increase in self mutilation among youths who seek to have their tongues pierced as a method of self expression.

Even as it is unlikely that such activities will have far reaching systemic problems as far as the formation of digestive system disorders is concerned, there is some proof that such damage to the tongue is indeed indicative of a decrease in productivity and functionality of this portion of the digestive tract. Education will assist in reaching younger consumers who may not yet be aware of the far reaching consequences their fashion fad choices have.