COMMON BUT STRANGE ORAL INFECTIONS IN KIDS

These are some other diseases and problems for which you may have to take your child to the dentist.

1. Mouth ulcers
Most of the kids will suffer from an ulcer at some point or other.There are many different types of ulcers,and most of them are painful.
A} Aphthous ulcers are mainly seen due to stress and can be common in kids during exams in school .They are small and creamy white to look at and usually seen on the tongue,gums or inside of the lip.They are painful and result in loss of appetite.
B} Traumatic ulcers are caused by some injury like a bite or by rubbing of a foreign object.it is usually a large patch on the inside of the cheek.They are very painful sores and could sometimes also caused fever.

Tips on what to do
• Parents must do a self check of the mouth if the child complains of pain and soreness in the mouth or tongue.
• Let your child have liquids and semi solid food from a straw as chewing is painful.
• Do not give any spicy or extra salty food as it will cause pain.Try cold and bland food.
• Take your child to the dentist who will check and see if there is any sharp tooth causing the ulcer and can round it off and make it smooth.
• The dentist will give some painkillers for the pain and some cream to apply on the ulcer.
• If your child gets re ocurring ulcer in the mouth,then you may need to do some further investigations.

2. Oral thrush
Thrush is a form of fungus which is seen in kids who may have been ill for a while or on some antibiotic treatment.It attacks the child when immunity is low.
The symptoms are mainly as follows:
• White patches seen mainly on tongue,inside of the cheeks and the roof of the mouth.
• These patches will become bleed or become raw when you wipe them.
• The child with loose his/her appetite and refuse to eat food.

Tips on what to do

• As soon as you discover this problem ,check to see if patches bleed on wiping off.
• Take your child to see the dentist who will give some anti fungal medicine to be used if your child is diagnosed with oral thrush.
• Avoid giving spicy food to your child as it will cause a burning sensation.
• Try to feed the child cold food and liquids,as this has a soothening effect.

3. Precancerous lesions due to tobacco use

Tobacco use in any form is very bad news for your child.Smokeless tobacco is used often by teens instead of smoking cigarettes as they think it is safer.But this is not true as chewing tobacco could be more addictive and it causes a lot of gum problems and precancerous lesions called leukoplakia.

Some early oral signs that should be watched out for are-

• Pain and tenderness anywhere in the child’s mouth or lip area.
• Cuts or wounds in the mouth that do not heal for some time.
• White or red leathery patches on the lips or under the tongue
• Difficulty in chewing and swallowing.
• Difficulty when speaking or trying to move the jaw or tongue.
• Difficulty in opening the mouth.

If the child uses tobacco,you must watch out for any of these warning signs.If it is not stopped in the early stages,it can be very dangerous.You must visit the dentist on a regular basis and your child must be taught about the dangers of tobacco.You should help your child to avoid any form of tobacco usage.

4. Pediatric hiv infection

Human immuno deficiency virus(HIV) is the retrovirus causing the disease called AIDS.Two major group of pediatric patients may get this disease :
• Infants can acquire it from an infected mother.
• Adolescents and teenagers can acquire the virus through sexual contact or intravenous drug abuse.
HIV infected children have signs and symptoms which are present in the mouth and should be treated by the dentist.

Children with AIDS need to be careful about catching any infections;even a dental infection can be life threatening. These infected children from a special group with special needs.the dentists have to help them to keep their oral cavity infection free and advice regular checkups.Extreme levels of oral hygiene are necessary for the children and it must be done!
We have therefore seen how to give our child the best oral care possible.Parents need to cooperate completely with the dentists in this regard.T he preventive measures if used at an early stage are very good for the child and you can avoid major treatment later on.

Sports injuries and other emergencies can also be avoided if dental precautions are followed regularly. As always prevention is better than cure!