Is stomatitis contagious or not and what types of it can be transmitted?

Aphthous stomatitis is an acute inflammation of the oral mucosa with the formation of painful erosions (aphthous). Small round ulcers form on the inside of the lips, cheeks, tongue, tonsils, cause constant pain and affect overall well-being. Stomatitis is caused by a viral or bacterial infection, microtrauma of the mouth. But most often the disease develops against the background of stress or a decrease in the body’s defenses.

What is aphthous stomatitis

The exact mechanisms of development of aphthous stomatitis are still unknown.

It is generally accepted that with aphthous stomatitis, the infection enters the oral cavity, but does not cause a protective reaction in the body's immune cells. They simply do not recognize the pathogen. The infection changes the composition of saliva, this causes the activity of lymphocytes and the immune system attacks areas of the oral mucosa as a foreign chemical agent.

As a result of this confrontation, erosions form on the mucous membrane.

Aphthae have a round or oblong shape with a diameter of up to 5 mm. Outwardly, they resemble ulcers, covered with a white or gray coating and outlined with a red rim. On the mucous membrane, aphthae are located in groups or separately.

If more than three canker sores have formed in the mouth, this is a severe form of stomatitis. Despite their small size, the ulcers are painful and interfere with eating and talking. With stomatitis, the temperature may rise and weakness may appear.

If a person's immune system is weak, it will continue to interpret the presence of foreign chemicals in the mouth as a danger and canker sores will become chronic. Therefore, it is important to start treatment of aphthous stomatitis on time and carry it out under the supervision of a doctor.

How to treat

Most often, the treatment procedure is limited to local exposure to the affected areas of the mucous membrane and soft tissue. Severe and painful lesions are treated with painkillers and antiseptic drugs, and applications with wound healing and anti-inflammatory agents are prescribed.

Viruses cannot be treated with antibiotics! Do not self-medicate or take potent drugs under any circumstances, they can only worsen the situation. To speed up recovery, your doctor may prescribe you medications containing human interferon (Viferon, Anaferon, etc.).

Also, for viral stomatitis, treatment can be aimed at eliminating local rashes using antiviral ointments (oxolinic, Zovirax, acyclovir and others). To increase the overall level of immunity, you will most likely be prescribed echinacea-based drugs, vitamins and immunomodulators.

At home, to speed up the healing of ulcers and sores, you can use herbal decoctions (sage, calendula, chamomile), oak bark for rinsing, and Tantum Verde spray for pain relief. Applications with retinol acetate and sea buckthorn oil are also very useful.

Among other things, diet is very important, without which treatment may not give the expected results. All foods consumed should be neutral in taste (no salt, acid, sugar or spices), in puree or porridge form, and lukewarm (hot and cold drinks and food are excluded). Under no circumstances should you refuse to eat because of pain.

Causes of aphthous stomatitis

Aphthous stomatitis can be an independent disease or develop as a result of complex causes. Among them:

• Using aggressive agents that dry out the oral cavity (for example, sodium lauryl sulfate) during daily oral hygiene. The mucous membrane becomes more vulnerable, especially to sour and pungent tastes, and ulcers easily form on it.
• Mechanical damage to the oral cavity. Accidental biting of the inner surface, scratches from fillings and dentures, sharp chips of a tooth, rough traumatic food violate the integrity of the mucous membrane, and the resulting ulcer can serve as the beginning of the disease.
• Nervous tension and stress.
• Unbalanced nutrition, diets, nutrient and mineral deficiencies. Particularly critical is the lack of iron, zinc, folic acid, selenium, and vitamins B and C.
• Allergy to food. Products with gluten (flour), apples, tomatoes, chocolate, seafood and some food additives are critical.
• Menstrual cycle in women. Codependency with aphthous stomatitis is observed in only 10–15% of cases.
• Genetic predisposition.
• Chronic blood diseases, gastrointestinal tract, immunodeficiencies.
• Long courses of taking nonsteroidal drugs, medications for arrhythmia and high blood pressure.

Preventive measures

A very important part of prevention is timely treatment of dental and ENT diseases.

Stomatitis can occur in anyone, regardless of age and lifestyle, but compliance with the following preventive measures can reduce this risk:

1. Maintaining oral hygiene and timely treatment of dental diseases.
2. Providing a balanced diet to supply the body with the necessary amount of vitamins and nutrients.
3. Taking vitamin complexes in spring and autumn.
4. Timely treatment of diseases of the ENT organs and digestive system.
5. Rejection of bad habits.

Is stomatitis contagious?

Canker sores can be contracted if the condition is caused by a virus, fungus, or infection. The pathogen is easily transmitted through shared objects and airborne droplets.

Children are especially susceptible to infectious stomatitis - due to their age, the mucous membranes of the oral cavity have not yet formed the required level of protection. Aphthous stomatitis is especially severe in infants, including those with damage to internal organs. Adults have a chance of getting sick only when they have microcracks or abrasions in the mouth.

Fungal stomatitis is transmitted through water, dishes, and food.

Stomatitis that develops as a result of vitamin deficiency, stress or mechanical trauma is not contagious.

Prevention

It is not possible to completely prevent the development of this infection in a child. Most people are already infected with viruses at birth, but it is quite possible to reduce the incidence of the disease.

To do this, the following measures are used:

• if one of the adults is infected, they should not be allowed to contact the child;
• choose a group in kindergarten with a small number of children;
• If possible, do not attend mass events during epidemics;
• it is necessary to harden the child (walk barefoot at home, go to the pool);
• stop bad habits (sucking fingers, toys, other objects);
• thoroughly wash and treat the child’s toys and dishes;
• treatment of all surfaces in the apartment using antiseptics.

Infectious stomatitis in children is a rather unpleasant disease. If you follow all the doctor’s recommendations and preventive measures, you can minimize the occurrence of this disease in your baby.

Symptoms of the disease and its complications

Aphthous stomatitis does not begin with the formation of ulcers. The stages of the disease are:

1. The lymph nodes become inflamed, the temperature rises and general weakness occurs.
2. Small blisters form in the mouth, which spontaneously open and turn into aphthae.
3. Salivation increases.
4. At first, it is unpleasant for the patient to eat food with a pronounced taste, and then chewing any food causes pain.
5. With a persistent form of aphthous stomatitis, the lymph nodes become inflamed and become painful on palpation.
6. The mucous membranes of the mouth are loose and inflamed.
7. A white coating appears on the tongue.
8. At the final stage of the disease, aphthae scar, and soreness in the mouth disappears.

If the patient has not received adequate treatment, aphthous stomatitis becomes chronic. Wherein:

• The mucous membranes swell and turn pale.
• Aphthae grow and cover the inner surface of the cheeks, palate and back of the tongue. In advanced forms, the ulcers rise above the surface of the oral mucosa.
• Without receiving proper treatment, the growth of ulcers resumes every two weeks. The wounds bleed and penetrate deeper into the tissues of the mouth.
• When healing, erosions leave deep scars.

Classification and forms of the disease

According to the nature of the disease, stomatitis can be:

1. Spicy . The appearance of painful ulcers in the mouth is accompanied by fever. The disease lasts 2–3 weeks;
2. Chronic . The disease progresses in waves, with periods of long lulls and rare exacerbations. Lasts up to 2–3 years.

According to the type of pathogen, stomatitis is:

1. Viral . Its causative agent is the herpes virus. It causes bubbles of clear liquid to appear. After the bubbles burst, aphthae remain in their place.
2. Radial . If the mucous membrane is irradiated by ionizing radiation, compactions and erosions may occur.
3. Fungal . Occurs when immunity decreases or a shock dose of antibiotics. A powdery coating forms on the seals of the mucous membrane, and when you try to remove it, the aphthae is exposed.
4. Bacterial . Caused by streptococci and staphylococci. The whole process goes quickly - ulcers are actively formed, aphthae quickly stop hurting and heal.
5. Chemical . This is the result of burns to the mouth from acids or alkalis. In this case, deep ulcers are formed and the tissue is deformed.

Depending on the type of pathogen, several forms of acute stomatitis are distinguished:

1. Fibrinous. In the initial stage, rashes appear no more than 1–3 times a year during exacerbations of systemic diseases or microtraumas of the mouth. Small blisters covered with fibrous plaque are located on the inner surface of the lips, tongue, and cheeks. They scar after 1–2 weeks. If the cause of the disease is not treated, aphthae form more and more often and cover large areas.
2. Necrotic. Typical for patients suffering from severe chronic pathologies. In this case, aphthae become a consequence of the death of the epithelium. In the initial stage, aphthae are painless, but then develop into ulcers that do not close within a period of several weeks to a month.
3. Gradular . It develops when the salivary glands are damaged, and aphthae develop next to them. The ulcers are painful and take 1 to 3 weeks to heal, after which the ulcers reopen.
4. Scarring. Aphthae cover the mucous membrane of the mouth near the salivary glands, pharynx and palate. At first they are small in size, but quickly unite into deep painful ulcers with a diameter of up to 1 centimeter. They heal slowly (up to 3 months) and form scars.
5. Deforming. The most severe form of aphthous dermatitis. Aphthae grow deeply into the mucous membrane and, when healing, form rough scars that deform the oral cavity. Deforming stomatitis is the most difficult to treat; recovery will take at least 2 months.
6. Herpetic . Consequence of infection by the herpes virus. Up to 30 small ulcers simultaneously form on the mucous membrane, the tissues become inflamed and turn bright red. It is more common in infants who become infected with the virus in utero or during childbirth.
7. Recurrent . Aphthae do not heal for a long time, merge with each other and form a large painful ulcer. The lesions become covered with a white coating, make it difficult to eat, and the person suffers from pain and burning. This form of stomatitis occurs only in adults.

In children, 2 forms are most often observed:

1. Spicy . Children under 3 years old are ill, usually against the background of other infectious diseases - whooping cough, diphtheria, measles. In acute stomatitis, a lot of saliva is released, the smell from the mouth is unpleasant, putrefactive.
2. Mixed. They appear in children over 4 years of age and cause frequent relapses. In this case, the disease affects an increasingly larger area each time.

Diagnosis of the disease and its differences from other pathologies

The doctor receives the first data after examining the patient’s mouth. Next, the doctor collects an anamnesis of the disease and the patient must answer when the first symptoms appeared, how quickly the disease developed, whether there were injuries (including burns) to the oral cavity, allergies to foods and medications, whether close relatives suffered from stomatitis.

To identify the causative agent of the disease, you will need to take a smear on the flora and exclude manifestations of herpes and candidiasis. For this purpose, laboratory tests are used - bacterial culture and PCR smear.

For persistent stomatitis, you should check your blood glucose level.