How to diagnose oral candidiasis? How to treat oral candidiasis? Let’s find out about oral candidiasis diagnosis and treatment!
Table of Contents
Oral Candidiasis Meaning
Oral candidiasis definition: What is oral candidiasis? Oral candidiasis is a type of yeast infection that happens in the mouth.
Oral Candidiasis Causes
What causes oral candidiasis? Candida albicans is the most common type of candida fungus. Oral candidiasis can be caused by several things, such as a weak immune system.
Oral Candidiasis Diagnosis
- Throat or mouth pain that comes and goes.
- Immunosuppression on a systemic or local level, such as recent use of corticosteroids, chemotherapy, or antibiotics.
- Erythema of the mouth or throat that looks like white curd-like patches.
- With the right treatment, the symptoms go away quickly.
The diagnosis is made based on the symptoms. Potassium hydroxide can make a wet preparation showing spores and mycelia that are not split. Candida albicans pseudomycelia will be found inside the epithelium when a biopsy is done.
Candidiasis is often the first sign of HIV infection, and people with no known risk factors for Candida overgrowth should consider getting tested for HIV. The US Department of Health and Human Services Clinical Practice Guideline for Evaluation and Management of Early HIV Infection says that people with HIV should have their mouths checked every time they see a doctor and every six months when they go to the dentist.
Oral Candidiasis Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of oral candidiasis: Oral candidiasis (thrush) is usually painful and looks like patches of creamy white curd on top of reddened mucosa. Because these white spots are easy to rub off (for example, with a tongue depressor), unlike leukoplakia or lichen planus, only the irregular erythema underneath can be seen.
Oral candidiasis is often caused by one or more of the following: (1) Using false teeth; (2) Being sick and not taking care of your teeth. (3) Type 2 diabetes, (4) anemia, (5) chemotherapy or local irradiation, (6) use of oral or systemic corticosteroids, or (7) use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Angular cheilitis is another sign of candidiasis (also seen in nutritional deficiencies).
Oral Candidiasis Treatment and Management at Home
Treatment of oral candidiasis – What is the best treatment for oral candidiasis?
Effective antifungal therapy can be done with fluconazole (100 mg orally every day for 7 days), ketoconazole (200–400 mg orally with breakfast (needs an acidic stomach environment for absorption) for 7–14 days, or a combination of these. clotrimazole troches (10 mg dissolved in the mouth five times a day) or nystatin mouth rinses (500,000 units [5 mL of 100,000 units/mL] held in the mouth before swallowing three times a day).
Patients with HIV infection, on the other hand, may need to take fluconazole for longer periods, and oral itraconazole (200 mg/day) may be recommended in cases where fluconazole doesn’t work. Many of the Candida species in these patients are resistant to first-line azoles and may need newer drugs like voriconazole.
Rinses with 0.12% chlorhexidine or half-strength hydrogen peroxide may also help relieve pain in the mouth. Denture wearers may be helped if they put Nystatin powder (100,000 units/g) on their dentures three or four times a day and rinse them off. They should do this for a few weeks.
I hope you understand oral candidiasis diagnosis and treatment guidelines.