Stomatitis in children

Stomatitis is one of the most common diseases of the oral cavity, especially in small children.

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Causes of Stomatitis in Children

Each type of stomatitis is caused by a certain infection or other irritants. But the most important factor that plays a role in the formation of stomatitis is the child's immunity, as well as the special structure of the oral mucosa. The child's mucous membrane is still very tender and thin, so it is very easy to cause microtrauma. An infection gets there, the immunity, in turn, is very weak and cannot resist the pathogen, so the likelihood of stomatitis in children is very high.

The protective mechanism of the oral cavity includes saliva. In six-month-old children, the salivary glands are just adapting to work, so saliva is secreted very abundantly. Since the body is just "tuning" this mechanism, not all the necessary enzymes have already been put into action, so the antiseptic effect of the saliva of a small child is not yet as powerful as that of an adult. It is precisely because of all these factors that small children often suffer from stomatitis.

Candidal stomatitis in children

The most common dental disease in childhood (especially among infants) is oral candidiasis or so-called thrush. It is caused by an infectious agent - a fungus of the genus Candida. It can remain inactive in the oral cavity for a long time and not manifest itself in any way, but as soon as the appropriate conditions arise, it easily begins to develop.

The pathogen can enter the child's oral cavity in different ways, but the main way of transmitting this disease is through parents. Firstly, the fungus can be transmitted to the child from the mother during pregnancy and fetal development. Secondly, parents naturally kiss their child, thus transmitting the fungus, even if they have it in a passive stage. Another way of transmitting candidiasis can be breastfeeding (if the mother suffers from nipple candidiasis) or artificial feeding (if the mother put a pacifier or a bottle with the child's food in her mouth).

The problem is that the fungus may be in a passive stage in parents and not manifest itself in any way. When it gets into the child's still fragile body, the immune system is often unable to cope, so candidal stomatitis in the baby begins to develop and progress.

Candidal stomatitis in a child begins to develop against the background of a weakened body, for example, after an illness. Oral candidiasis can occur in weakened children, premature or born with low birth weight, in those who are often ill. But a completely healthy baby can also get oral candidiasis, especially if oral hygiene is not observed. There are also cases when this disease occurs against the background of long-term use of antibiotics, however, as practice shows, the latest antibiotics do not lead to the development of candidal stomatitis in children.

There is acute and chronic candidal stomatitis, in children acute oral candidiasis is most often observed. It, in turn, is also characterized by mild, moderate and severe forms.

Often, at first, candidal stomatitis proceeds without symptoms. Then the baby begins to feel a burning sensation in the mouth, excessive dryness and itching. Very young children are capricious during meals, do not want to eat, preschoolers and schoolchildren suffer from an unpleasant taste of food and bad breath.

A characteristic sign of candidal stomatitis in children is plaque on the oral mucosa - most often white or dirty gray in the form of curdled milk or cottage cheese. When the fungus multiplies more and more, the plaque turns into a film on the inside of the lips, gums, cheeks and the line of closure of the teeth. It happens that plaque also appears on the tongue. Redness covers the entire oral mucosa, and the back wall of the pharynx is often affected.

With candidal stomatitis, the temperature may rise. Of course, everything depends on how severe the disease is. Moderately severe oral candidiasis is accompanied by a temperature of 38º, severe can provoke a higher temperature. In more severe forms of the disease, the lymph nodes may also enlarge.

In milder forms of the disease, bright red non-bleeding mucous membrane is visible under the plaque, which can be easily removed with a spatula. If we are dealing with a moderate to severe form, then fibrin threads with pseudomycelium of the fungus will be observed in the plaque, then the plaque acquires a yellow-gray tint. It is very difficult to remove it from the mucous membrane and often it is not completely removed, the mucous membrane under it swells and becomes bleeding. Infants and small children tolerate this disease very hard, in schoolchildren and preschoolers it proceeds much more easily.

Candidal stomatitis in children is not difficult to cure, but the disease can become chronic. The most formidable complication is when children with a weakened body can earn the spread of fungus throughout the body by spreading it through the blood and lymph. In such a situation, most organs and systems will be affected by candidiasis. In adolescence, oral candidiasis can also move to the genitals.

If candidal stomatitis in a child recurs repeatedly, this may indicate other more serious diseases, such as leukemia, HIV, diabetes, etc. In addition, with oral candidiasis, the child often refuses to eat, which may lead to the child's physical development being unplanned.

Candidal stomatitis may look like a regular coated tongue. The main difference is that with a coated tongue, the baby has no problems eating, no burning, no itching, and of course, no fever. To make an accurate diagnosis, you need to scrape the tongue to detect the presence of fungus and pseudomycelium.

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Herpetic stomatitis in children

Viral stomatitis in children has the most common form - this is herpetic stomatitis. The herpes virus is generally common among 90% of residents, in children it is also directly related to the work of the immune system. In every tenth child suffering from herpetic stomatitis, it can develop into a chronic stage and relapses can occur periodically.

The herpes virus is very diverse in its manifestations – it can affect the central nervous system, internal organs, and the reproductive system.

Most often, herpetic stomatitis occurs in children aged 1.5 to 3 years. Most often, it is transmitted by airborne droplets, but it can also be transmitted by contact. Again, accompanying factors play a large role in its development, especially immunity and the mucous membrane of the oral cavity.

The development of herpetic stomatitis begins with the herpes virus entering the body. There are also three forms of this disease - mild, moderate and severe. The severity of the disease depends on the amount of rash. The incubation period lasts from two days to seventeen in older children, and in very young children it can last up to a month.

In the mild form of herpetic stomatitis, there are no symptoms of intoxication, at first there is a rise in temperature to 37.5º. The oral mucosa becomes bright red, blisters form, which is called the vesicle stage. Then these blisters begin to burst, erosion of the oral mucosa occurs - this is the next stage of this disease. The rash becomes marbled when the disease begins to fade.

Moderate and severe forms of the disease manifest themselves in symptoms of intoxication of the child's body. Before the rash appears, the baby's general condition worsens, there are manifestations of weakness, drowsiness, the child refuses to eat. At first, parents may think that this is an acute respiratory disease, a common cold. The lymph nodes increase in size, the temperature rises to 38º. When the rash begins to appear, the temperature reaches 38 - 39º, there is nausea and vomiting. Moreover, not only the oral cavity, but also the surrounding tissues of the face can be rashed. In addition, saliva becomes viscous, the gums become inflamed.

In medical practice, severe forms of herpetic stomatitis in children are less common. In the moderate form, there are disturbances in the cardiovascular system, nosebleeds, nausea, and vomiting. The temperature in some cases reaches 40º. After a few days, the oral cavity becomes covered with rashes, the entire face is affected by the infection, sometimes even the ears and gums. The rash can recur and merge. Then the baby must be hospitalized immediately.

Aphthous stomatitis in children

Doctors currently do not have a unanimous opinion about the causes of this disease, there are specialists who agree that aphthous stomatitis in children occurs due to malfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract. Basically, aphthous stomatitis occurs in schoolchildren, less often observed in younger children.

Ulcers in aphthous stomatitis are similar in appearance to rashes in herpetic stomatitis. Characteristic features of aphthous stomatitis are round or oval ulcers with smooth edges and a smooth bottom of a bright red color. They mainly appear on the lips and cheeks.

When the disease begins to progress, aphthous ulcers are covered with a cloudy film, which then breaks through. If a secondary infection is added to all this, the disease can become complicated. A change in the child's condition is observed, he suffers from drowsiness, lack of appetite, is capricious, often refuses food. Temperature jumps up to 38º are possible, although quite rare.

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Types of stomatitis in children

Depending on the cause of the disease and the development process of the disease, the following main types of childhood stomatitis are distinguished:

• candidal stomatitis in children;
• herpetic stomatitis in children;
• aphthous stomatitis in children.

Other types of childhood stomatitis

There are other types of viral stomatitis. They can be caused by various infectious diseases. For example, chickenpox causes a rash in the mouth, which quickly turns into painful erosion.

Diphtheria causes fibrin films to form in the oral cavity. If they are removed, the mucous membrane is damaged; if they are left to naturally remove themselves, they leave behind inflamed mucous membranes.

Scarlet fever causes the formation of a thick coating on the tongue; on the fourth day the tongue becomes bright red, which is achieved due to the epithelium being randomly exfoliated.

Even the common flu and cold can lead to painful changes in the condition of the oral mucosa: gingivitis appears (when the mucous membrane of the gums becomes inflamed) and the tongue becomes coated.

Allergic stomatitis in children can be caused by a local allergic reaction to the use of drugs and even arise from food. The mucous membrane can swell, ulcers and plaques can appear. Such stomatitis is characterized by the fact that its clinical picture does not include symptoms of intoxication and there is no hyperthermia.

Treatment of stomatitis in children

If a child shows even the slightest signs of stomatitis, he or she needs to be isolated from other children so that the disease does not spread. The child needs separate dishes, towels, toys. It is important that these items do not fall into the hands of other relatives in order to avoid the possibility of infection.

When a child is ill, it is imperative to monitor oral hygiene. After all, if you pay little attention to it during stomatitis, such consequences as, for example, a bacterial infection added to the rash are possible. After the illness has passed, the toothbrush is naturally thrown away and replaced with a new one. If the baby is less than a year old, the mouth is treated with dental wipes with xylitol, which is an antiseptic and does not allow secondary infection to interfere with the matter.

When the baby is still at the breastfeeding stage, the mother should treat the breast before each feeding. To do this, simply rinse the breast with running water, alcohol and soap are unacceptable - the natural lubrication of the breast will be removed in this way. If the baby is on artificial feeding, after the clinical manifestations of the disease have been eliminated, the bottle will also need to be replaced.

When a child refuses to eat due to pain from stomatitis, you can anesthetize the affected areas of the oral mucosa.

Usually in such cases, pain-relieving gels are used for teething. These can be: Kamistad (pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effect), Kalgel, Baby Doctor (no lidocaine, so it can be used in children with allergies to this drug).

When treating stomatitis in children, it is important to monitor the consistency and temperature of food, as well as the diet. Children with stomatitis should eat liquid and semi-liquid food, it is best to grind it with a blender or at least knead it with a fork. Cold and hot food is contraindicated, due to the characteristics of such a disease as stomatitis, the baby should not eat salty, sour, spicy and canned foods. After eating, the mouth should be rinsed with an antiseptic solution (geksoral, miramistin) or running water.

When oral thrush is detected in a baby, the mother is strongly recommended to be examined, as she is the first "suspected" source of infection, and may be sick with vaginal candidiasis and nipple candidiasis. If the mother is the source of the disease, the baby will be able to recover only when the mother is cured.

Treatment of oral candidiasis in children

Local treatment of candidal stomatitis in children

In order to cure oral candidiasis, it is necessary to create an alkaline pH. Pathogenic organisms usually need an acidic environment to reproduce, an alkaline environment, in turn, slows the growth of microorganisms and leads to their gradual death.

To create an alkaline environment, use a soda solution. Dissolve a tablespoon of soda in a glass of water. In other cases, use a two-percent solution of boric acid. The therapeutic effect is achieved with the help of aniline dyes - methylene blue. To treat oral candidiasis, the latter is treated with them five to six times a day or more, but at least three times during the day.

It is especially important that the drugs interact with the child's cheeks and gums, since it is the plaque that accumulates at the necks of the teeth that contains the largest number of pathogenic microorganisms.

The main remedy for treating oral candidiasis, including in children, is the Candid solution. Its action is based on the destruction of the fungal cell wall. It is recommended to use Candid for ten days. An important point is not to interrupt treatment as soon as the symptoms disappear, otherwise resistance to this remedy can be formed. Sometimes, doctors use Diflucan to treat candidal stomatitis, mainly in adolescents. The dosage is prescribed in each specific case by a doctor.

General treatment of candidal stomatitis in children

If the temperature rises during candidal stomatitis, antipyretic drugs are used. Vitamin complexes are prescribed to improve the immune system. With candidal stomatitis, the child needs a special diet to reduce the amount of easily digestible carbohydrates.

Treatment of herpetic stomatitis in children

General treatment of herpetic stomatitis in children

If intoxication is observed, the baby should drink a lot, and it is also necessary to reduce the body temperature by all means. When the form of the disease is severe, the child often needs to be treated in hospital. In this case, symptomatic therapy is provided to alleviate the condition and eliminate the accompanying symptoms. To increase the body's resistance and prevent recurrence, immunostimulants and vitamins are prescribed. For prevention, a course of acyclovir is taken. As in the case of any stomatitis, the diet excludes sour, salty, canned foods, especially citrus fruits.

Local treatment of herpetic stomatitis in children

Herpetic eruptions are treated with propolis, which is almost always used to treat viral infections of the oral cavity. Propolis has a pronounced anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effect. To relieve inflammation of the oral cavity, medicinal herbs are used - baths are made, for example, from chamomile and sage. When the child is still too young to rinse his mouth on his own, this should be organized by parents, wetting a cotton swab in a decoction. All these procedures are carried out very carefully, because the child's rash can give pain.

Treatment with propolis is indicated, which is indispensable in the treatment of viral infections in the oral cavity. Propolis has an anti-inflammatory and at the same time antiseptic effect. To relieve symptoms of inflammation of the mucous membrane and gums, baths of medicinal herbs are indicated - chamomile, sage. In the event that the baby is not yet able to rinse his mouth, parents need to treat his mouth themselves, having previously moistened a cotton swab in the decoction. Such treatment should be carried out carefully, it should be taken into account that the child may experience pain.

Herpetic stomatitis is treated with acyclovir. It can be used in the form of an ointment, as well as in tablets, and both are often used. The dosage is determined by the attending physician on an individual basis. Usually, the rash is lubricated three to four times a day.

In addition, when the rash heals, it is necessary to use means for the restoration of the mucous membrane – the so-called keratoplasty (vitamin A, sea buckthorn and rosehip oils).

Treatment of aphthous stomatitis in children

General treatment of aphthous stomatitis in children

The causes of aphthous stomatitis have not been established by official medicine to date. Now this is the area of work for an allergist, gastroenterologist and dentist. All of them examine the patient to identify what could potentially lead to the disease. If it is an allergic reaction, then the main task of doctors is to identify the allergen and determine ways to avoid contact with it. If the development of aphthous stomatitis was provoked by the gastrointestinal tract, then the doctor tries to eliminate the causes of the disease. Antibiotics and antihistamines are also used.

If the temperature rises, as in other cases of stomatitis, measures are taken to eliminate it. A special diet is prescribed, eliminating foods that are undesirable during the disease.

Local treatment of aphthous stomatitis

The selection of antiseptics is done by the dentist. They need to treat the baby's oral cavity three times a day. The most important point here is that the antiseptic should gently affect the oral mucosa and not irritate it. When the disease begins to subside, the attending physician should determine the means that can ensure the restoration of the mucous membrane.

Stomatitis in children is a common occurrence. Since a child's body is vulnerable and sensitive, it is important to follow the recommendations of the attending physician. It is better not to improvise and not to use folk medicine and homeopathy in the case of a child. Find qualified specialists and perform the procedures they prescribe, then the risk of complications tends to zero.