Relevance. The high level of development in modern dentistry involves the use of a wide range of hygiene products. However, an insufficient number of scientific studies are dedicated to mechanical means of cleaning the tongue and oral mucosa. The anatomy of the tongue creates favorable conditions for the adhesion of various microorganisms. The accumulation of a large number of bacteria can influence the development of diseases not only within the oral cavity but also throughout the entire body. Tongue cleaning should be recommended as an essential part of home oral hygiene procedures, as it leads to a reduction in microbial load, which can positively impact both local and systemic health. Aim. To study the evolution of tongue hygiene items to understand the design features of modern tongue hygiene products. Methodology. A systematic literature search was conducted, including studies dated from 1899 to 2023. The search was performed in electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Search, and eLibrary. The following keywords were used: "history of tongue hygiene," "oral hygiene," "evolution of oral hygiene products," and "individual tongue hygiene products." Integration of search results was carried out using EndNoteWeb bibliographic software to remove duplicate articles. During the selection process, publications were excluded for the following reasons: titles and abstracts were clearly unrelated to the research topic; the full text did not correspond to potentially relevant articles; or oral hygiene products were discussed without addressing the issue of tongue hygiene. Results. The choice of mechanical tongue hygiene products depends on the anatomical features of the tongue. There is a discernible trend toward changing materials to those that are more indifferent (inert) and less allergenic.
Orehova et al. (Sun,) studied this question.