Stomatitis means inflammatory-dystrophic disease of the mouth mucosa. When it has affected only sporadic areas, it is called gingivitis /inflammation of the gums/, glosit /inflammation of the tongue/ respectively. In cases of simultaneous affection of both the mucosa and the skin, we name it derma-stomatitis.
People of all age suffer stomatitis. The reasons for its development are various. Locally affecting factors /inflammation, trauma, physical and chemical affect and others/ provoke the initial or independent stomatitis, while the secondary /symptomatic/ stomatitis is accompanied by general and hereditary diseases. The reasons leading to the development of stomatitis are very complex and difficult to define. In the originating of stomatitis, inflammation plays a very important part and it could be a direct cause or come as secondary laid. This concerns both the virus and bacterial infection and also the parasitic candida infection. The changes in the mucosa of the mouth provoked by various disease carrying factors are relatively similar. In the correct diagnosing of the disease of primary importance is the distinction of independent initial and secondary rash casing units: spot, papule, little knot, blister, ulcer and others).
Stomatitis is characterized by the classical symptoms of inflammation: swelling, reddening, feeling of warmth, pain and disturbed function /difficulties in chewing, speaking, loss of taste/. The inflammatory process goes acutely and chronically with ulcerous, necrotic and other damages, swelling of the lips, cheeks and the tongue.
To the first stage of stomatitis refer traumatic stomatitis, stomatitis cased by physical, chemical and infectious factors, including herpes simplex, herpes zoster and aphthae stomatitis.
The treatment of different forms of stomatitis is local and general.
It is conducted by dental professionals and has a primary goal of eliminating the local causes, strengthening the immune system and medicament effect. In the prophylaxis of stomatitis, importance is paid to oral hygiene, removal of professional damage causing factors, of chronically acting local irritants /sharp edges of teeth and teeth crowns, badly designed prosthesis constructions, poly-metal combination structures/ and thus prevent the development of pre-cancer conditions, like leukemia plaque formation, chronicle ulcers and others. Protection from allergic reactions is highly recommended, use of antibiotics should be careful and cautious, and people should have targeted health knowledge.
Ulcer-necrotic gingivitis stomatitis. It is caused by disease carrying bacteria. Stress conditions matter as well, in addition to vitamin deficiency, deficiency in food diet, not very proper oral hygiene, cavernous teeth and traumas. Infection could be passed through feeding utensils and through contact. The picture of the disease is detected by increased body temperature, high pain levels of the gums and oral mucosa, felling of burning and intensified saliva release. In the beginning, the gums, especially around the teeth, are red and swallowed. Later, ulcers develop there and they are covered in grey-yellowish or brownish coating.
These ulcers get spread on the mucosa of the cheeks and palate as well, bleed easily and are acutely painful. Chewing is impossible. Under-jaw lymph nodes are enlarged and painful.
Aphthae stomatitis. This stomatitis is caused by a herpes virus or by a group of viruses which are similar to it and thus is considered infectious disease. The disease goes on for 5-10 days and could heal without any kind of treatment and so temporary immunity is acquired. The disease layout is characterized by headache, muscle ache, high body temperature, and pain in the oral cavity when chewing, swallowing, speaking, and disturbed eating.
Aphthae appear unexpectedly as colored coatings on the inner side of the lips, cheeks, the tongue, palate, and gums. Quite often they spread on the swallowing organs, the esophagus and even the sex organs. Regional lymph nodes are swollen.
Candidous gingivitis stomatitis. The disease is cased by candida of the type “candida albicans” and is called “milky disease”. Breast-fed children suffer from that disease. The infection gets spread by infected rubber comforters, milk, nipples of the suckling mother, not properly washed dishes.
Of great importance is the bad hygiene condition of the oral cavity, the usage of defect teeth prosthesis, thoughtless and chaotic antibiotic treatment. The disturbances are located on the mucosa of the lips, cheeks, gums, the palate, tongue and glands. The areas are reddened, swelling, dry, or covered in characteristic coatings similar to yogurt remains, and are tightly linked to the inlaying tissue. The affected people complain from mouth dryness, burning combined with slight feeling of pain. In cases of spreading of the coatings on the swallowing organ and the trachea occurs difficulty in swallowing and breathing. The treatment is conducted by medical professional and consists of applying antimicotic medicaments – locally and orally, lavements and bandages, vitamin intake, and upon certain symptoms – physical procedures.
Allergic diseases of the oral mucosa. Allergic diseases of the oral mucosa are urticary and the vasomotor swelling of Quinke. Urticary is allergic disease of the skin surface and mucosa. The causes of its origin are quite various. Inside the oral cavity, urticary is spread on the lips, tongue and the cheeks’ mucosa. The mucosa is swollen; present is itching and feeling of burning. The swelling of Quinke originates most often inside the oral cavity. It is an acute process, appears unexpectedly, disappears relatively fast, but has a tendency to repeat itself. Characteristic for it is that it appears unexpectedly at night and goes on from a couple of hours to a couple of days. The periods during which there is no painful symptoms /remissions/ continue for days, weeks or years. Initially, the swelling is located on the face, around the eyes, on the lips and cheeks. Inside the oral cavity, the swelling starts from the tongue and the soft palate. Quite often, the swelling covers the epiglottis, the swallowing organ and larynx and causes difficulties in breathing even suffocation. The swelling is not painful. The causes for appearance and development of the Quinke swelling are not clear enough. As causing factors are assumed the following: food poisoning, local infections, medicament treatments by means of antibiotics, sylphonamids, aspirin, analgyn, barbiturates, professional allergic factors /for example plastic/, cosmetic devices, changes in the atmospheric pressure and humidity, and rarely – psychological traumas. It is suggested that it is in fact a vessel-neurotic disorder with sudden transition of liquids from the body vessels in the environmental tissue under the conditions of increased vessel permeability with transitional character. The swelling is being observed also in families.
The sufferers who have the Quinke swellings are subject to immediate placement in hospitals and in case of severe stages of the symptoms, an intensive treatment is urgently conducted.
