Inflammatory gum disease in adults and children is called gingivitis. It is most often observed in children a few months from birth to 13 years of age, which is explained by the characteristics of the child’s body and poor oral hygiene.
According to statistics, in a child from 2 to 4 years old, gum inflammation occurs in 2% of cases, and by the age of 13, the proportion of this disease in children reaches 80%. Gingivitis cured in time does not become chronic, but if left untreated it can cause the development of periodontitis.
Causes of gingivitis in children
There are many causes for childhood gingivitis. The gums become inflamed due to the functional immaturity of their tissues. In babies under one year of age, the cause of the disease is often teething, when the gums become red and sore. Sometimes inflammation is caused by an allergic reaction to food.
In adolescents, the disease may manifest itself due to the eruption of a permanent tooth. When soreness during brushing does not allow this procedure to be performed efficiently, microbes multiply and gum inflammation develops.
The most common factors that provoke the development of gingivitis in older children are:
Action of microbes
In 90% of cases, the disease appears in a child due to insufficient oral hygiene, as a result of which microorganisms multiply intensively, plaque and tartar form, and stomatitis develops.
Mechanical injury
The integrity of the mucous cavity can be compromised by teething, cuts, scratches, burns, biting, improper brushing of teeth, and eating solid foods.
Foci of infection in the oral cavity
If children have carious teeth, there is a chance that they will develop infectious gingivitis, which affects the gums. Therefore, teeth that require treatment must be treated as soon as possible.
Excessive loads on the dental system
Other causes of gum damage in children may include:
- presence of malocclusion;
- poor nutrition with a lack of vegetables and fruits;
- uneven load on the dental system due to bad habits;
- defects of the oral cavity (short frenulum of the tongue, lips);
- the presence of caries, various infections;
- thermal burn from hot food;
- wearing braces.
Treatment of white spots on gums
The first thing parents need to do is visit a pediatrician. If necessary, the child will be referred to a dentist. Pediatric dentistry is a department where the factors that provoke the disease are determined. Depending on your age, the doctor will carry out therapeutic measures.
- In case of improper hygiene, the mother will receive professional recommendations.
- When pimples are a consequence of vitamin deficiency, the nutrition of the mother and child is adjusted. You should drink enough liquid.
- Congenital masticatory organs, if they are mobile, are removed.
- Pathological diseases are treated with modern methods.
- The toddler should be protected from anxiety and stress.
- Stomatitis is treated with antiseptics, for example, Miramistin. The drug is prescribed by a doctor.
- Candida fungus is eliminated with drugs such as Flucostat. The baby's mouth is treated with chlorhexidine.
- If there is a lack of calcium, the necessary minerals are prescribed.
You cannot puncture the blisters yourself. The gum tissue may be damaged. After all, with such a procedure, infection can easily occur.
Symptoms
Gingivitis has a main symptom by which it is easily identified - inflammation affecting the child’s gums. The process begins with a slight redness that quickly gains strength. This signal often goes unnoticed by parents, and children go to the dentist with an active inflammatory process, bright red swollen gums, burning, and pain. These signs indicate that the disease has entered an acute phase.
Children suffer most from the catarrhal form of this disease, which can be chronic or acute. In the first case, the symptoms are not pronounced, pain occurs only when brushing, there is slight swelling, redness, and cyanosis of the gums.
A sign of an acute form of the disease is intoxication of the child’s body. It manifests itself as headache, nausea, lethargy, and fever.
The most complex type of disease, ulcerative gingivitis, manifests itself as follows:
- the inflammatory process progresses;
- their structure changes;
- there is an unpleasant odor from the mouth;
- lymph nodes in the neck enlarge;
- saliva is produced profusely;
- the skin turns pale.
If these signs are left unattended, an ulcerative-necrotic form of the disease may occur, when necrotic areas with a gray-green coating and a putrid odor appear on the gums, saliva becomes viscous, body temperature rises and the general condition significantly worsens.. All this indicates severe intoxication in organism.
During puberty in a teenager or if he has problems with hormones, hypertrophic gingivitis occurs. It occurs due to improper orthodontic treatment of dental anomalies. The inflammatory process is accompanied by increased growth of gingival tissue, which leads to partial closure of dental crowns. This form of the disease is usually localized. One or two gums are affected, sometimes the affected area expands. The most common location is the lower anterior incisors and canines.
Atrophic gingivitis does not have a pronounced inflammatory process and occurs without pain, although over time it can be complicated by periodontal disease.
Symptoms
Oral candidiasis in children can have different forms of manifestation and severity of symptoms: mild, moderate and severe. As a rule, each form corresponds to the stage of development of the disease. If therapy is not carried out in a timely manner, the signs of fungal infection become more intense and the number of symptoms increases.
In mild forms of the disease, a red rash appears on the oral mucosa, which is covered with a white coating on top. At the next stage, the child experiences swelling of the tissues and the formation of localized white spots with a coating of curd consistency. Gradually these spots merge into a larger affected area. When plaque is removed, bleeding ulcers open. If thrush starts, the fungus spreads to the entire oral cavity, including the lips, tongue and throat. All fabrics are completely covered with a curd coating.
Common symptoms of candidiasis in children include:
- burning and itching sensation in the mouth;
- discomfort and pain when eating;
- frequent regurgitation in babies;
- formation of cracks in the corners of the lips;
- temperature increase.
Children in the first two years of life report their condition by refusing to eat, constant whims and crying for no reason. It is not difficult to see the signs of candidiasis, so if a child has a sharp rise in temperature or refuses to eat, pediatricians and dentists recommend checking the oral cavity for the presence of white plaque. If you suspect thrush, it is not advisable to delay a visit to a specialist, since the fungal infection progresses quickly.
Diagnostic methods
The diagnosis is made by a doctor based on the results of studying the medical history and life of the child in combination with a dental examination. The patient’s complaints, the presence of somatic diseases, and whether he is taking medications that may cause the development of gingivitis are clarified.
Then the doctor conducts an external examination, paying attention to maxillofacial anomalies, the condition of the teeth and gums, and makes a diagnosis. The dentist does not require the help of other specialists, since the disease clearly manifests itself externally and does not require instrumental examination.
Prevention
To prevent the occurrence of pathology, preventive measures should be taken.
- The baby’s mouth should be cleaned after any meal and rinsed with boiled water.
- Mother and child should eat a balanced diet.
- It is necessary to protect the baby from kissing people who have sore gums, from traumatic games, and from chewing objects with sharp edges.
- Pacifiers, toys, bottles should be perfectly clean, like the hands of a toddler.
- See your dentist regularly for preventative checkups.
- The baby must use a separate towel and utensils.
Treatment
Treatment for childhood gingivitis is practically no different from how adults are treated. Only medications used for them are softer and more gentle. Treatment begins with professional cleaning of hard deposits and plaque of tooth enamel - mechanical or ultrasonic.
If caries is detected during the examination, then therapeutic treatment is carried out. Gingivitis is then treated with medications with antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Measures are taken to eliminate detected pathologies (bite, frenulum, etc. are corrected).
Ointments and gels are considered effective for children under 4 years of age. For example, Cholisal ointment has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, which makes it possible to prescribe it to alleviate the patient’s condition, especially when baby or permanent teeth are cutting. Ointments and gels are applied directly to the inflamed area.
Antibiotics in tablets or in the form of injections are prescribed to children in difficult cases (the presence of infections of bacterial origin in the body). At elevated temperatures, rinses, drinking plenty of fluids, antioxidants, antipyretic drugs for children, and taking vitamins are prescribed.
Prevention measures should include regular visits to the pediatric dentist, training in oral care rules, and parental monitoring of the development of hygiene skills.
Causes
The main reason for the development of candidiasis of the oral mucosa in children is weakened immunity. If a baby is born premature, the likelihood of developing thrush is very high. Children who are breastfed or have congenital pathologies are also often exposed to fungal infections.
Provoking factors include:
- the presence of vaginal candidiasis in the mother during pregnancy (the child can become infected when passing through the birth canal);
- insufficient hygiene of the female breast during breastfeeding (the fungus is often localized specifically on the nipples due to the environment favorable for it);
- poor handling of the child’s initial things (bottles, pacifiers, etc.);
- parents’ habit of licking nipples (even if the adult has no signs of thrush, there may be a fungus in the mouth that can be passed on to the child);
- long-term use of drugs from the “antibiotics” group (medicines help reduce one’s own immunity);
- frequent regurgitation in infants (after regurgitation, an increased acidic environment will remain inside the oral cavity, favorable for fungus);
- excessive and frequent dry mouth (lack of saliva as a protective agent against the activity of pathological microorganisms).
Infection with Candida fungus in children over 2 years of age can occur as a result of consuming unwashed foods, raw milk or running water. If a child over 3 years of age suddenly shows signs of thrush, they should be examined not only for a fungal infection, but also for other possible diseases that may be accompanied by a “decay” of the immune system.
Treatment of white plaque on a child’s tongue
A white coating on a child’s tongue is most likely ordinary food debris. If it is not removed with a damp cloth and spreads to the mucous membrane of the cheeks, then this indicates the development of an infectious process.
Why does a white coating appear on the tongue of a baby during breastfeeding? As a rule, this is thrush - a fungal infection caused by yeast-like fungi belonging to the genus Candida. A white coating covers the baby's tongue and gums, the inside of the lips and cheeks. Thrush often occurs in children under one year of age. The reason is the immature immune system of infants. Thrush is a contagious disease, so to avoid it, bottles and pacifiers must be thoroughly sterilized. Older children also get thrush. Children with weakened immune systems and asthmatic children using inhaled corticosteroids are at risk. Treatment of white plaque on a child's tongue is carried out with local antifungal drugs. Important: medications should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor, since a similar picture may be a symptom of another condition in which antifungal drugs are not required. For example, diseases caused by the Coxsackie virus are often accompanied by the appearance of white “spots” on the tongue. In fact, these are painful ulcerations that disappear on their own within 3-5 days without any treatment. Therefore, if you find a white coating on your child’s tongue, you should consult a doctor and not self-medicate.
In infants, the surface of the tongue may be covered with a colored coating. How to treat a yellow coating on the tongue of a newborn depends on the condition that is accompanied by this symptom. For example, sometimes the tongue becomes coated with a colored coating from certain baby formulas. Just change your diet and your tongue will clear up. However, yellow plaque may also indicate problems with the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory infections. In these cases, treatment of the underlying disease is carried out.
