Stomatitis is an inflammation of the mouth that can cause thrush on the tongue, gums, cheeks and throat.It is more common in children, but can occur at any age.In the case of children, stomatitis is diagnosed by the paediatrician and when it is caused by the herpes virus, it is called herpetic gingivostomatitis and occurs mainly in babies under 3 years of age.
Treatment is done on the advice of the pediatrician and it is recommended that the baby’s mouth is always clean and that medications be used to relieve symptoms and reduce discomfort, such as acetaminophen, for example.
- The treatment of stomatitis in the baby must be indicated by the pediatrician or dentist and lasts approximately 2 weeks.
- It is important to be careful with the food that the baby eats and with the hygiene of teeth and mouth.
It is important that the baby’s mouth is always clean, to prevent the proliferation of microorganisms in cold sores, and medications may be recommended to relieve symptoms and reduce discomfort, such as acetaminophen, for example.The use of an antiviral, Zovirax, may be recommended if it is a gingivoestomate caused by the herpes virus.This medicine helps heal oral wounds, but should only be used with a prescription.
It is important that your baby’s feeding continues even in the presence of canker sores, but it is important to take certain precautions to avoid aggravating symptoms, such as:
These recommendations help reduce pain when swallowing, preventing cases of dehydration and malnutrition.Check out the baby juice and porridge recipes for this step.
Childhood stomatitis is very common in children under 3 years of age, but it can occur until adolescence, usually causes symptoms such as irritability and lack of appetite, the child cries and does not want to eat because he feels pain when food touches the wound.
Symptoms of stomatitis may include
These symptoms may appear at the same time, but the only common one is the onset of canker sores.In addition to stomatitis, other diseases can also cause canker sores in the mouth, such as the Coxsackie virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease, and it is important for your pediatrician to evaluate symptoms and order tests to make the correct diagnosis.Learn more about hand-foot-mouth disease.
Stomatitis can have several causes, most often due to a weakened immune system, the baby’s habit of taking his or her hands and dirty objects to his mouth, or the flu, for example.In addition, stomatitis can occur due to contamination with the herpes simplex virus or chickenpox virus, with other symptoms usually besides cold sores.
Stomatitis may also be related to children’s eating habits and is common due to vitamin B and C deficiency.