Candidiasis of the oral cavity (thrush): causes, symptoms and treatment

The defeat of the oral cavity by the yeast of the Candida group is called thrush. Ailment can provoke a lot of pain, and in advanced stages - lead to the spread of infection in internal organs and systems. To avoid serious complications, treatment of candidiasis of the oral cavity, which affects both adults and children, must be carried out in a timely manner and under the strict supervision of a doctor.

Clinical symptoms of thrush in the mouth

The incubation period lasts from several days to 7-10 days, during which time whole colonies of Candida yeast-like fungi settle in the oral cavity. The main signs of thrush in the mouth in adults and children include:

• The curdled plaque that occupied the surface of the tongue extends to the inner surface of the cheeks, throat, larynx and gums.
• When trying to get rid of plaque, bleeding sores and wounds appear under it.
• Signs of candidiasis in the mouth in adults include decreased appetite and weight loss. With severe damage to the pharynx and the ingestion of pathogenic flora into the internal organs, an increase in body temperature is observed.
• A striking symptom of candidiasis in the child’s mouth is difficulty swallowing the mixture from the bottle or sluggish sucking of the mother’s breast. The kid is different, irritable and tearful.
• With atrophy of the taste buds of the tongue, the patient complains of a strange, sour taste in the mouth.
• There is an unpleasant odor from the oral cavity.
• In some cases with the disease mycotic jams in the corners of the lips can be detected. The patient complains of burning and discomfort in this area. Seizures can be cured in the same way as other symptoms of the disease: taking antibiotics or broad-spectrum drugs.

The photo clearly shows what the mucous membrane of an adult infected with oral candidiasis looks like.

This is interesting: the plaque that occupied the human oral cavity with candidiasis consists of food debris, yeast mycelia and particles of epithelial cells, fibrin.

Causes of candidiasis in the mouth

Factors contributing to Candida fungal infection of the mucosa:

• Non-observance of hygiene rules. In addition to brushing your teeth, you need to delicately get rid of plaque in the tongue.
• Thrush can occur against a background of weak immunity caused by vitamin deficiency and a lack of biologically active substances in the body.
• Its development is facilitated by the use of antibiotics. They destroy pathogens along with good ones, therefore during the period of antibiotic therapy, prebiotics should be takenthat contribute to the colonization of the body with beneficial bacteria.
• The development of candidiasis of the oral mucosa is prone to elderly people who wear dentures. In order to protect yourself from such a scourge, you should carefully clean the prostheses.
• Often the disease affects expectant mothers. This is due to impaired metabolism and hormonal changes in the body.
• Gastrointestinal diseases, for example, dysbiosis, gastritis or gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, also cause pathology.
• HIV and AIDS.Under conditions of immunodeficiency, the mycelium of the fungus - mycelium - grows into the cytoplasm of the cell. It is with such ailments that complications most often arise associated with the spread of infection to other organs and systems.
• Smokers and people who abuse alcohol often find clinical symptoms of the disease. This is due to weak immunity. At the initial stage, to get rid of the ailment, it is enough to quit a bad habit and take a course of drug therapy.
• At risk are people with dental problems, for example, stomatitis, glossitis. As well as those who have a geographical language.
• An oral infection can affect the oral cavity, the throat of a person with endocrine disruption, tuberculosis and diabetes.

People with diabetes need to maintain a stable blood sugar level. This will reduce its content in saliva and prevent the growth of pathogenic microorganisms in the mouth.

Classification of oral infection

The intensity of the symptoms of candidiasis in the mouth depends on the type of ailment. Today, experts distinguish the following types of disease:

• 

  Atrophic candidiasis

  Atrophic candidiasis. With this form of pathology, the patient feels dry mouth and burning, pain during chewing and swallowing food. The tongue turns white, and the taste buds atrophy. A characteristic symptom of atrophic (erythematic) candidiasis of the oral mucosa is the appearance of unsightly milk plaque on the lips and damage to the palate.

• Acute pseudomembranous candidiasis, better known as thrush, is most common. Especially its development affects infants and preschool children. Potential carriers of the disease are pregnant women. In their case, the disease is provoked by a weakened immune system and hormonal changes in the body.
• Fungal disease of the chronic type. The clinical picture looks exactly the same as with the pseudomembranous type of oral candidiasis. The defeat of the oral cavity is caused by other diseases or is caused by the wrong choice of treatment regimen for thrush of the oral cavity in acute form. Soreness and burning are moderate, and a white coating on the tongue is transformed into dense plaques that lead to a thickening of the organ.

Thrush Complications

In most cases, curdled deposits on the inner surface of the cheeks, tonsils and tongue do not cause potential complications. If the patient is characterized by too weak immunity, then Candida mushrooms can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.

First of all, thrush of genitalia develops, both in women and in men. Then there is a lesion of the kidneys and liver, cardiovascular system and brain. Therefore, you should not deal with the treatment of thrush in the mouth in adults and children at home. It is better to trust a dentist or periodontist. In some cases, a mycologist is involved in the diagnosis and prescription of antibiotics.

Running candidiasis during gestation can result in miscarriage or the birth of a premature baby. That is why women are advised to treat thrush in the mouth at the planning stage of pregnancy. Drug therapy is also indicated for the man of the future mother.

Oral candidiasis in a newborn

The human body is inhabited by both good and pathogenic microorganisms. With their balance, infection does not occur, but if the immune system is weakened, meet thrush. And most often this applies to infants. Their immunity has not yet been formed, therefore, the pathogenic microflora represented by Candida fungi can lead to oral candidiasis.

Photo: oral thrush in a child

The treatment of the disease will take time, therefore, in order to get rid of pronounced symptoms of vital functions of Candida fungi in the mouth, we recommend using the following folk recipe: 1 tsp. baking soda is dissolved in 200 ml of warm water, abundantly moistened with a cotton pad solution and the baby's mucosa is treated. Usually, health improves by 3 days. This tool will relieve the child of pain and burning in the mouth and allow him to swallow food normally.

Sometimes a dense coating of dirty gray, found on the tongue of a child, can be mistaken for an oral infection. But more often it indicates the presence of a dangerous disease called dysentery. A coated white tongue is also observed with scarlet fever, so it is very important not to engage in self-diagnosis and treatment of oral candidiasis at home, but to consult a pediatrician in a timely manner.

How to prevent

Oral thrush is one of the most common childhood diseases, but avoiding relapse is not so difficult. To do this, you must adhere to the following rules:

• Moms whose babies are breast-fed, it is recommended not to forget to thoroughly rinse the nipple and dummy after each use.
• Those who breastfeed should wash their mammary glands after feeding.

In most cases, the child becomes infected in the neonatal period, the infection is promoted by a vaginal infection and weakened immunity in the expectant mother. In addition, the disease can occur in a woman in the postpartum period. With thrush in the mouth in adults and children, treatment is necessary for both. Otherwise, the so-called re-infection cycle starts, and it becomes more difficult to cure the disease.

Diagnostics

Examination of the oral cavity alone is not enough to further select a treatment regimen. To make an accurate diagnosis, you need to pass a number of mandatory tests:

• clinical and biochemical blood analysis;
• scraping taken from the surface of the mucosa;
• biopsy of the affected area.

In addition, an examination of the nails and skin of the patient is carried out. If necessary, the person is referred for consultation to a mycologist, gynecologist or endocrinologist.

To remove suspicions of other diseases, the doctor conducts a differential diagnosis with lichen planus and allergic-type stomatitis.

Oral candidiasis: drug treatment

Treatment of thrush of the oral cavity must be combined with the relief of other ailments: diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or genitourinary system. For the treatment of candidiasis of the oral cavity, which is not a clinical sign of another disease, the following groups of drugs are used:

• Polyene antibacterial agents. Designed to stop the ailment at the initial stage. When infected with oral thrush, Nystatin, Amphoteracin and Nastamycin are considered the most popular drugs. Effectively combining them with such folk remedies as tea tree oil, sodium bicarbonate, natural apple cider vinegar.

Nystatin is one of the most common drugs prescribed to treat thrush in the mouth of a child. Since young children cannot swallow tablets, it is recommended to treat the baby's oral cavity with a Nystatin tablet dissolved in vitamin B12.

• Drugs in the amidazole group. To treat thrush in the mouth in adults is recommended Ketoconazole, Miconazole, Clotrimazole. All these drugs violate the integrity of the membranes of pathogenic microflora. Despite their effectiveness, amidazoles are not recommended for pregnant women, since their active components penetrate the bloodstream.
• Broad-spectrum antifungal agents: Terbinafine, Pimafucin and Fluconazole. For positive dynamics, it is necessary to treat oral candidiasis in strict accordance with the doctor's recommendations.In no case should you interrupt the course of drug therapy.
• Local preparations with antifungal and anti-inflammatory effects. Their action is aimed at relieving the symptoms of oral candidiasis. I must say that furatsilin, iodicerin, nystatin ointment are used in combination with antibacterial drugs or amidazoles. With the progression of candidiasis, it is necessary to rinse the oral cavity with the above solutions, affecting the affected glands.

Even if after a 14-day course of treatment the symptoms of the disease have disappeared, it is necessary to re-take the tests. Pathogenic microorganisms that cause thrush are characterized by increased resistance to certain groups of medicines.

Diet as an essential component of treatment

In addition to conducting antibacterial therapy and rinsing the oral cavity with antifungal compounds, it is recommended to make adjustments to the patient's diet:

• The use of fast food, canned food, chips and other harmful substances is prohibited.
• To effectively fight the disease, for a while, refuse to add salt, spices and spices to food. These components irritate the affected mucosa and enhance the symptoms of oral candidiasis. The same applies to sweets, including honey, dried fruits. By absorbing such goodies, a person creates a real paradise for sustainable pathogens.
• Health food should include natural yogurts without sweeteners.

Do I need to take vitamins

Active growth of yeast in the oral cavity is due to a decrease in the immune protective functions of the body. Often this picture is observed with vitamin deficiency caused by a deficiency of iron and B vitamins. Therefore, for preventive purposes and in order to cure thrush as quickly as possible, it is recommended to strengthen immunity by taking multivitamin complexes. The most popular are such as Multi-Tabs, Vitrum and Orthomol Immun.

Prevention of thrush in the oral cavity in adults

Getting thrush is very simple. To avoid the discomfort and discomfort that the disease causes, it is recommended to adhere to the following tips:

• Brush your teeth 2 times a day, and if there is a white coating on the tongue in the morning, which is not a sign of a catarrhal disease and does not indicate problems in the digestive tract and liver, rinse your mouth with a special rinse. Alcohol is present in the composition of such hygiene products, which will create an unfavorable environment for the life of microorganisms.
• Women with vaginal candidiasis should begin treatment as soon as possible.
• If you wear dentures, clean them regularly.
• Do not ignore the trip to the dentist. Have a routine inspection twice a year.
• Cut back on high sugar foods. The absorption of such products in large quantities leads to the active growth and reproduction of Candida fungus.
• To maintain microflora in the body 3-4 times a week, use natural yogurt without sweeteners.
• Strengthen the immune system. Eat fresh vegetables and fruits regularly. Drink rosehip infusion, cranberry juice - these berries contain more vitamin C than citrus fruits.

Foreign experts came to the conclusion that the use of inhaled corticosteroid drugs indicated for bronchial asthma increases the risk of infection with candidiasis. In order not to have to be treated for the disease, it is recommended to rinse your mouth with alcohol-containing rinses after each use of drugs.

Candidiasis is not a harmless disease at all. Often, thrush, localized on the gums, tongue, tonsils, palate, indicates serious malfunctions in the body. Therefore, with the first symptoms of thrush in the oral cavity, both children and adults should go to the doctor for treatment according to a well-composed scheme.