The most common is atrophic glossitis, the final stage of glossitis. This is an entity characterized initially by
papillary hypertrophy, then by papillary flattening, and finally by loss of all but the circumvallate papillae. As
a result, the initially shiny red color (beefy tongue) changes to a paler hue, in a tongue that is often smooth
and sore (because of atrophy).