Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesTreatmentDiagnosisWhen to See a Healthcare ProviderFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Causes

Treatment

Diagnosis

When to See a Healthcare Provider

Frequently Asked Questions

This article discusses the symptoms of yellow tongue, its causes and risks, and diagnosing and treating the condition.

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Symptoms of Yellow Tongue

Yellow tongue can vary in appearance and include some other symptoms. A yellow tongue might look like:

Other symptoms that might be present include:

Causes of Yellow Tongue

Yellow tongue is the result of bacteria that gathers on the tongue. This can result from habits like:

Additionally, certain underlying health issues can cause yellow tongue, including:

What Medications Can Cause Yellow Tongue?

Studies have found that some medications could change the color of the tongue, including:

How to Treat Yellow Tongue

Usually, improving or adding to oral hygiene can resolve yellow tongue, including:

Lifestyle changes that can reduce or eliminate yellow tongue might include:

Addressing underlying health concerns like diabetes and pancreas issues could also help treat yellow tongue.

Are There Tests to Diagnose the Cause of Yellow Tongue?

If yellow tongue doesn’t go away with lifestyle changes, an examination and tests might be necessary to finalize a diagnosis or determine any underlying issues. In this case, a healthcare provider might:

Testing for other health conditions might include:

If yellowing of the tongue doesn’t disappear with better oral hygiene or if you experience other physical symptoms, like yellowing of the skin or constant dehydration, a healthcare specialist could help with diagnosing the cause and recommending treatment options.

Summary

Learn MoreCauses of Tongue Infection, Disease, and Pain

In addition to brushing, flossing, and using a tongue scraper regularly, brushing the tongue with a solution of one part hydrogen peroxide and five parts water and rinsing with water once a day can help treat yellow tongue. Reducing alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and illegal drug consumption can also help, as can eating more raw fruits and vegetables.Learn MoreWhat Is Black Tongue?

In addition to brushing, flossing, and using a tongue scraper regularly, brushing the tongue with a solution of one part hydrogen peroxide and five parts water and rinsing with water once a day can help treat yellow tongue. Reducing alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and illegal drug consumption can also help, as can eating more raw fruits and vegetables.

Learn MoreWhat Is Black Tongue?

A recent review of 40 studies found that tongue color changes and other oral health issues seemed linked to COVID-19 infection. This might be because enzymes (chemicals that cause reactions in the body) in the mouth are receptive to the virus, resulting in changes to the balance of bacteria in the mouth. Drugs that treat COVID-19 can also affect the body’s bacteria. Also, infection can lessen saliva in the mouth, which causes bacteria to remain on the tongue.Learn MoreWhat Is ‘COVID Tongue’?

A recent review of 40 studies found that tongue color changes and other oral health issues seemed linked to COVID-19 infection. This might be because enzymes (chemicals that cause reactions in the body) in the mouth are receptive to the virus, resulting in changes to the balance of bacteria in the mouth. Drugs that treat COVID-19 can also affect the body’s bacteria. Also, infection can lessen saliva in the mouth, which causes bacteria to remain on the tongue.

Learn MoreWhat Is ‘COVID Tongue’?

15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Weinberg A, Albers AE.The yellow hairy tongue.Pan Afr Med J. 2018;30:298. Published 2018 Aug 30. doi:10.11604/pamj.2018.30.298.16328Chen H, Li Q, Li M, et al.Microbial characteristics across different tongue coating types in a healthy population.J Oral Microbiol.2021;13(1):1946316. Published 2021 Jul 26. doi:10.1080/20002297.2021.1946316Tomooka K, Saito I, Furukawa S, et al.Yellow tongue coating is associated with diabetes mellitus among Japanese non-smoking men and women: the Toon Health Study.J Epidemiol. 2018;28(6):287-291. doi:10.2188/jea.JE20160169MedlinePlus.Dental health.Gurvits GE, Tan A.Black hairy tongue syndrome.World J Gastroenterol.2014;20(31):10845-10850. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i31.10845Afshar, ZM, Barary M, Ebrahimpour S. et al.Pathophysiology and management of tongue involvement in COVID-19 patients.Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg(2022). doi:10.1007/s12070-021-03052-3MedlinePlus.Pancreatitis.Ye J, Cai X, Yang J, et al.Bacillus as a potential diagnostic marker for yellow tongue coating.Sci Rep.2016;6:32496. Published 2016 Aug 31. doi:10.1038/srep32496MedlinePlus.Jaundice.Aziz Y, Rademacher WMH, Hielema A, et al.Oral adverse effects: drug-induced tongue disorders.Oral Dis. 2021;27(6):1528-1541. doi:10.1111/odi.13680American Cancer Society.Mouth soreness and pain.Mayo Clinic.Yellow tongue.MedlinePlus.Bilirubin blood test.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes tests & diagnosis.American Cancer Society.Tests for pancreatic cancer.

15 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Weinberg A, Albers AE.The yellow hairy tongue.Pan Afr Med J. 2018;30:298. Published 2018 Aug 30. doi:10.11604/pamj.2018.30.298.16328Chen H, Li Q, Li M, et al.Microbial characteristics across different tongue coating types in a healthy population.J Oral Microbiol.2021;13(1):1946316. Published 2021 Jul 26. doi:10.1080/20002297.2021.1946316Tomooka K, Saito I, Furukawa S, et al.Yellow tongue coating is associated with diabetes mellitus among Japanese non-smoking men and women: the Toon Health Study.J Epidemiol. 2018;28(6):287-291. doi:10.2188/jea.JE20160169MedlinePlus.Dental health.Gurvits GE, Tan A.Black hairy tongue syndrome.World J Gastroenterol.2014;20(31):10845-10850. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i31.10845Afshar, ZM, Barary M, Ebrahimpour S. et al.Pathophysiology and management of tongue involvement in COVID-19 patients.Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg(2022). doi:10.1007/s12070-021-03052-3MedlinePlus.Pancreatitis.Ye J, Cai X, Yang J, et al.Bacillus as a potential diagnostic marker for yellow tongue coating.Sci Rep.2016;6:32496. Published 2016 Aug 31. doi:10.1038/srep32496MedlinePlus.Jaundice.Aziz Y, Rademacher WMH, Hielema A, et al.Oral adverse effects: drug-induced tongue disorders.Oral Dis. 2021;27(6):1528-1541. doi:10.1111/odi.13680American Cancer Society.Mouth soreness and pain.Mayo Clinic.Yellow tongue.MedlinePlus.Bilirubin blood test.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes tests & diagnosis.American Cancer Society.Tests for pancreatic cancer.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Weinberg A, Albers AE.The yellow hairy tongue.Pan Afr Med J. 2018;30:298. Published 2018 Aug 30. doi:10.11604/pamj.2018.30.298.16328Chen H, Li Q, Li M, et al.Microbial characteristics across different tongue coating types in a healthy population.J Oral Microbiol.2021;13(1):1946316. Published 2021 Jul 26. doi:10.1080/20002297.2021.1946316Tomooka K, Saito I, Furukawa S, et al.Yellow tongue coating is associated with diabetes mellitus among Japanese non-smoking men and women: the Toon Health Study.J Epidemiol. 2018;28(6):287-291. doi:10.2188/jea.JE20160169MedlinePlus.Dental health.Gurvits GE, Tan A.Black hairy tongue syndrome.World J Gastroenterol.2014;20(31):10845-10850. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i31.10845Afshar, ZM, Barary M, Ebrahimpour S. et al.Pathophysiology and management of tongue involvement in COVID-19 patients.Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg(2022). doi:10.1007/s12070-021-03052-3MedlinePlus.Pancreatitis.Ye J, Cai X, Yang J, et al.Bacillus as a potential diagnostic marker for yellow tongue coating.Sci Rep.2016;6:32496. Published 2016 Aug 31. doi:10.1038/srep32496MedlinePlus.Jaundice.Aziz Y, Rademacher WMH, Hielema A, et al.Oral adverse effects: drug-induced tongue disorders.Oral Dis. 2021;27(6):1528-1541. doi:10.1111/odi.13680American Cancer Society.Mouth soreness and pain.Mayo Clinic.Yellow tongue.MedlinePlus.Bilirubin blood test.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes tests & diagnosis.American Cancer Society.Tests for pancreatic cancer.

Weinberg A, Albers AE.The yellow hairy tongue.Pan Afr Med J. 2018;30:298. Published 2018 Aug 30. doi:10.11604/pamj.2018.30.298.16328

Chen H, Li Q, Li M, et al.Microbial characteristics across different tongue coating types in a healthy population.J Oral Microbiol.2021;13(1):1946316. Published 2021 Jul 26. doi:10.1080/20002297.2021.1946316

Tomooka K, Saito I, Furukawa S, et al.Yellow tongue coating is associated with diabetes mellitus among Japanese non-smoking men and women: the Toon Health Study.J Epidemiol. 2018;28(6):287-291. doi:10.2188/jea.JE20160169

MedlinePlus.Dental health.

Gurvits GE, Tan A.Black hairy tongue syndrome.World J Gastroenterol.2014;20(31):10845-10850. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i31.10845

Afshar, ZM, Barary M, Ebrahimpour S. et al.Pathophysiology and management of tongue involvement in COVID-19 patients.Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg(2022). doi:10.1007/s12070-021-03052-3

MedlinePlus.Pancreatitis.

Ye J, Cai X, Yang J, et al.Bacillus as a potential diagnostic marker for yellow tongue coating.Sci Rep.2016;6:32496. Published 2016 Aug 31. doi:10.1038/srep32496

MedlinePlus.Jaundice.

Aziz Y, Rademacher WMH, Hielema A, et al.Oral adverse effects: drug-induced tongue disorders.Oral Dis. 2021;27(6):1528-1541. doi:10.1111/odi.13680

American Cancer Society.Mouth soreness and pain.

Mayo Clinic.Yellow tongue.

MedlinePlus.Bilirubin blood test.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diabetes tests & diagnosis.

American Cancer Society.Tests for pancreatic cancer.

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