Oral thrush

Oral Candidiasis 

Oral thrush, also called oral candidiasis, is a condition in which the fungus Candida albicans accumulates on the lining of your mouth. Candida is a normal organism in the mouth, but sometimes it can overgrow and cause symptoms.

Oral thrush causes creamy white lesions, usually on the tongue or inner cheeks. Sometimes oral thrush may spread to the roof of the mouth, gums or tonsils, or the back of the throat.

Anyone can develop oral thrush, but the infection is more common in certain people. Risk factors include:

• Being an infant or elderly
• Having a weakened immune system
• Wearing dentures
• Having other health conditions, such as diabetes
• Taking certain medications, such as antibiotics or oral or inhaled corticosteroids
• Undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer
• Having conditions that cause dry mouth
• Smoking

Symptoms

Depending on the underlying cause, signs and symptoms may develop slowly or suddenly, and they may persist for days, weeks or months. 

Signs and symptoms may include:

• Creamy white lesions on your tongue, inner cheeks, and sometimes on the roof of your mouth, gums and tonsils
• Slightly raised lesions with a cottage cheese-like appearance
• Redness or soreness that may be severe enough to cause difficulty eating or swallowing
• Slight bleeding if the lesions are rubbed or scraped
• Cracking and redness at the corners of your mouth (especially in denture wearers)
• A cottony feeling in your mouth
• Loss of taste

In severe cases, the lesions may spread downward into the esophagus the long. If this occurs, there may be a difficulty in swallowing.

Prevention

These measures may help reduce the risk of developing candida infections:

• Rinse your mouth. If you have to use a corticosteroid inhaler, be sure to rinse your mouth with water or brush your teeth after taking your medication.
• Good oral hygeine. Brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss daily or as often as your dentist recommends.
• Clean your dentures. Clean your dentures daily. Ask your dentist for the best way to clean your type of dentures.
• Regular visits toi the dentist, specially if you have diabetes or wear dentures. 
• Try limiting the amount of sugar- and yeast-containing foods you eat. These may encourage the growth of candida.
• Maintain good blood sugar control if you have diabetes.Well-controlled blood sugar can reduce the amount of sugar in your saliva, discouraging the growth of candida.
• Treat any vaginal yeast infections that develop during pregnancy as soon as possible.
• QUIT SMOKING

Treatment

Adults with weakened immune systems are treated with antifungal medication. But Candida albicans can become resistant to many antifungal medications, especially in people with late-stage HIV infection. So a drug called amphotericin B may be used, but only when other drugs aren't effective, as it can cause serious side effects.

For mild oral thrush, the usual treatment that is tried first is miconazole mouth gel for seven days. Sometimes a two-week course is needed. Nystatin drops are another option if miconazole gel cannot be used