A dry, cracked and painful tongue may be caused by furrowed tongue, as follows. 1. Grooved tongue is generally characterized by different forms and numbers of grooves or cracks on the back of the tongue, similar to leaf veins and dendrites. The mucous membrane at the bottom of the furrow is intact, without blood seepage. Food irritation may cause tongue pain, dry tongue, bitter mouth and other symptoms. Food debris may accumulate in the furrow, leading to secondary fungal or bacterial infection, which may cause pain and bad breath. 2. The furrows of furrowed tongue may aggravate with age and may be accompanied by map tongue. If it is accompanied by granulomatous labial inflammation and facial paralysis, it is called Mello-Roth syndrome. There may be other reasons for the dry, cracked and painful tongue. If the above symptoms occur, it is recommended to go to the hospital in time for early targeted treatment.