Objective: Report a case of passive geographic tongue that became active due to the presence of severe stress associated to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Case details: In January 2019, a 42-years-old Caucasian female was included in a survey on geographic tongue (GT). At that time, although she reported having the condition, on intraoral examination, no atrophic areas or whitish margins were observed on her tongue (classic clinical signs of GT). In November 2020, she was contacted again and reported changes in her GT. At this time, the lateral borders of her tongue presented erythematous areas surrounded by whitish margins. The research participant also reported that she was under severe stress due to the pandemic. Final considerations: This case reported has demonstrated consistency with literature data regarding the onset, worsening of symptoms and changes in clinical aspects of geographic tongue associated with emotional and psychological factors. To ensure that changes in clinical aspects of GT may be related to pandemic stress, further research of oral manifestations of COVID-19 is needed.

Background Geographic Tongue (GT) is a benign inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology, which is characterized by the loss of epithelium due to the atrophy of filiform papillae. It usually occurs on the dorsum of the tongue and may extend to its lateral edges. It appears as an erythematous area surrounded by whitish and slightly elevated margins. In most cases, the condition is asymptomatic, although some individuals may report symptoms that include a burning sensation of the tongue. Objective Assess whether there was a change in the clinical aspect of Geographic Tongue (GT) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Thirty-two participants were recruited from Dentistry School Universidade Federal Fluminense. Anamnesis and oral examination were performed to collect medical history. The participants were split into two groups: control group (no GT) n = 20 and test group (with GT) n = 12. In the second step, nine participants from a 12 (75%) of the test group were contacted by phone and answered a questionnaire about changes in the signs and symptoms of GT during the pandemic. The subjects were subdivided into two groups: GT with and without signs and symptoms exacerbation. Results In the first phase of the research, no statistical difference between control and test groups was observed regarding clinical criteria such as age (p + 0.72), gender (p = 0.24), and systemic diseases (p = 0.58). In the second phase, there was a statistical difference between GT groups with or without symptom exacerbation in terms of age and stress as a factor of the oral symptoms (p = 0.3 and 0.2), respectively. Younger patients showed a worsening of the oral lesions related to GT (p = 0.3) and reported stress during the pandemic (p = 0.02). Conclusion Younger patients were more susceptible to stress and presented more exacerbation of the oral lesions related to GT.