Stomatitis in infants is an infectious disease that is often diagnosed in the first months of life. It has a viral or fungal nature. Often stomatitis occurs in young children, because they all that they hold in their hands are pulled in their mouths.
Transmission of infection
Depending on the type of stomatitis in infants, it can be contagious and not. It sometimes occurs in children with kisses or through dirty dishes or if the baby is in close proximity to people who have herpes fever on their lips. Aphthous stomatitis is not contagious.
Reasons for the appearance
Stomatitis in infants (the photo is presented later in the article) includes a group of diseases of different nature, but in all cases the pathology is characterized by inflammation of the mucosa, pain and specific ulcers. At the beginning of the disease, slight redness of the mucosa occurs, and without help, the situation is exacerbated. Additionally, the following symptoms appear: high fever, loss of appetite.
In many situations, a variety of bacteria cause stomatitis on the lips and mouth. Sometimes it appears with hepatitis, chickenpox, scarlet fever. With a decrease in immunity in the oral cavity, a fungus multiplies, which adversely affects health.
Pathogenic microflora is constantly located in the child’s mouth, only the body’s defenses prevent their uncontrolled reproduction. Under the influence of adverse factors in the form of severe stress, the immune system weakens, viruses, fungi, bacteria multiply and cause the development of stomatitis in infants in the mouth.
Pediatricians identify the following causes that contribute to the appearance of pathology:
- The rules of personal hygiene are violated, and unwashed vegetables and fruits are also eaten. Therefore, parents need to give the child only well-washed food.
- Mechanical trauma to the oral cavity. Damage to the mucosa by fish bones and other solid products leads to a minor wound. It can cause infection and then stomatitis.
- An unbalanced diet. Lack of vitamins and minerals leads to a decrease in the protective function of the body, so it becomes defenseless against pathogenic microflora.
- Taking certain drugs causes a disturbance in the salivation process. Dry mucous membranes are the doors to infection.
- Concomitant diseases: neoplasms in the throat or nasopharynx, problems with the digestive tract.
- In preschool children, stomatitis sometimes occurs with the development of other pathologies: tonsillitis, flu, pneumonia, mucosal burns with hot food or drinks.
Stomatitis brings a lot of inconvenience to the child. Strong pain causes the baby to refuse food.
Specialists sometimes report relapses of the disease. The risk group includes patients who are faced with such situations:
- Injury to the mucous membranes of the mouth. This group includes a broken tooth, wearing braces and improperly filling.
- Nervous tension that affects the whole body.
- Incomplete elimination of viruses and fungi. With the constant presence of viruses in the body, signs of stomatitis may reappear.
- Allergy to antihistamines. Having noticed a negative reaction of the child to the drug, it should be immediately canceled.
To recover the child, it is necessary to determine the exact cause of the pathology and eliminate it.
Types of Stomatitis
It is difficult to classify a pathology by signs, so doctors distinguish several main varieties of stomatitis:
- Allergic. Allergens are most often antibiotics or foods. Edema and redness become noticeable on the mucosa, which then develop into sores.
- Catarrhal. It is the easiest type of stomatitis. The mucous membranes swell and erosion occurs. Therapy does not require the use of special medicines, just wipe the mouth with healing broths of chamomile or calendula. A photo of stomatitis in infants in the mouth is presented later in the article.
- Aphthous. This kind of pathology is the most common in babies. The main reason is the weakening of immunity. Before visiting a doctor who will prescribe a specific treatment, it is allowed to wipe the mouth with a solution of furatsilina or hydrogen peroxide.
- Candidiasis. Such stomatitis appears due to the multiplication of yeast-like fungi in the mouth. A feature of the pathology is the presence of cheesy plaque on the mucous membranes. The baby takes food painfully, the gums bleed, and when the immunity is weakened, the pathogenic microflora occupies the cheeks and lips.
- Infectious. A similar type of stomatitis is fixed against the background of chickenpox or herpes. The first sign is itching in the tongue and mucous membranes of the mouth. The disease is difficult to tolerate. Characteristic symptoms include high temperature, vesicles in the mouth burst, forming erosion.
- Ulcerative. A similar pathology is a complication of catarrhal stomatitis. It occurs when the kids have diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
It is impossible to independently determine the nature of stomatitis that has arisen. Only a specialist will make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.
The manifestation of the disease in infants
An infant who has stomatitis behaves uneasily, cries constantly and sleeps very little. Parents notice this right away. Stomatitis in infants manifests itself brightly. Usually it occurs in the oral cavity, and in some cases on the lips.
Initially, the pathology manifests itself in the form of a slight redness, which eventually swells and turns into a sore. If you do not pay attention to such signs, after a while they begin to bleed, and you can notice blood on the clothes and nipple of the child. At this stage, serious treatment will be required, most often in a hospital.
Symptoms of the disease
Despite the fact that the disease has many types, common features are common to them. Symptoms of stomatitis in infants:
- increased pain occurs when babbling and during meals;
- redness and swelling of the mucous membranes develops into vesicles covered with white coating, which turn into erosive surfaces;
- lethargy and worsening of the general condition of the baby;
- high fever, in some cases nausea and vomiting.
If the first signs of the disease occur, the child should be taken to the pediatrician, who will refer you to the dentist and dermatologist for examination.
How to consult a doctor
Parents should call a pediatrician at home if the child has:
- Inability to drink and eat food.
- Heat.
- Irritability and inability to calm down.
- Within 1-2 days, the condition does not radically change.
If the baby shows signs of dehydration in the form of dry lips and the absence of tears when crying, then it must be urgently shown to a specialist. You should also consult a doctor if the child is very weak and constantly sleeping.
Diagnosis of the disease
If stomatitis occurs in infants, sometimes an external examination is sometimes enough for the doctor to determine the type of pathology. In other situations, additional examination is required.
After conducting the necessary tests, an accurate diagnosis is established and a treatment regimen is determined.
Disease treatment
Appointment of the correct therapy largely depends on the type of stomatitis, which requires a special treatment method.
With fungal stomatitis:
- Apply ointment "Clotrimazole", "Candide" and others. They are applied every day to the affected areas of the mucosa.
- In addition, rinse the baby's mouth with a weak solution of boric acid or baking soda.
During the treatment of stomatitis in infants, a vitamin complex and decoctions on medicinal herbs are used. At this time, you need to follow a diet, as well as remove cold, hot dishes, solid and acidic foods from the diet.
For allergic stomatitis, the following measures should be taken:
- Remove contact with irritant.
- Mouth ulcers should be treated every day with a weak solution of boric acid or bluing.
- Take antihistamines (Suprastin, Cetrin).
- Limit chocolate, citrus fruits, and seafood in the diet.
- Sometimes, for the rehabilitation of the mouth, "Lugol", "Vanillin" and others are used.
How to treat stomatitis in infants? With a herpetic form of pathology:
- Every day, 3 times it is necessary to treat the wounds with decoctions of chamomile or calendula.
- Use painkillers gels ("Hexoral", "Stomatidin").
In the treatment of all types of pathology, it is allowed to use decoctions of chamomile, oak bark, weak solutions of soda or salt.
Disease prevention
It is quite possible to prevent the development of pathology in a child if you follow the rules of personal hygiene, constantly walk in the fresh air and temper. One of the main roles is played by a balanced diet.
Parents must wash their baby's toys with soap and sterilize their nipples and bottles.
You should not allow strangers to kiss the child on the lips so that various microbes do not get into his body. While the baby is too small, one should limit the reception of guests and close contact with relatives.
The mother should monitor the cleanliness of the breast and wash it before each feeding. Breasts need to constantly change bedding and clothes. In the room carry out wet cleaning and ventilate it.
In the event of stomatitis in the baby on the gum, it is necessary to consult a specialist in time. A triggered inflammatory process can cause serious consequences and complications.
Conclusion
Stomatitis in infants delivers a lot of discomfort. When the first signs of the disease appear, parents must visit a doctor. Timely prescribed treatment will relieve the baby from pain, and will cure the disease in a short period of time. Parents should not self-medicate, in order to avoid serious complications.