Aphtae in children on the tongue
Children can also be affected by tongue aphthae. These are one of the typical hand-mouth-foot diseases in children, which are among the infectious diseases transmitted by a virus. But other factors, such as nutrition, infections or oral hygiene, can also cause aphthae.
Pressure points and bite wounds in the mouth, which are particularly common in children, increase the appearance. Furthermore, especially small children take many things and especially their fingers in their mouth. Fever can also occur as an accompanying symptom.
Children find the strong, burning pain in the mouth very unpleasant, which also increases when touched. Usually the healing process is unproblematic except for the pain, and the aphtae on the tongue disappears by itself. Only if the child does not want to drink any more, because the liquid increases the pain too much, a doctor can be consulted.
As parents you can support the healing. So no sweet or sour juices should be given, because they irritate the inflammation. It is important that the child nevertheless drinks enough fluids.
In the pharmacy you can buy remedies to reduce the inflammation. Rinse with sage or chamomile tea can also calm the child, although this should not be too hot. It is also advisable to ensure that the child does not continue to bite his or her tongue, cheek or lips. Some honey or ice cubes are also used to ease the pain of the little ones. If the aphthae on the tongue occur regularly, avoiding certain foods, such as very acidic foods, can also prevent the renewed formation of aphthae, as these foods can promote its development.
Diagnosis of lingual aphthae
The diagnosis of an aphtae on the tongue is made at the dentist’s office through the patient’s conversation and the visual inspection (gaze diagnosis) of the oral cavity. If, based on the information provided by the patient, it can be assumed that the aphthae on the tongue are caused by another disease, then it seems reasonable to determine the laboratory parameters via a blood test. Infections that can be caused by viruses or bacteria are also possible triggers for aphthae.
Some fungal infections or autoimmune diseases are also similar to aphthae. A smear with a cotton swab, which is then examined microscopically in the laboratory, can exclude fungal diseases. If the aphtae on the tongue persists for a longer period of time, a small biopsy should be performed to ensure that it is not a malignant tumour of the tongue. A thorough diagnosis should therefore be made to rule out all serious diseases.
Are aphthae contagious at the tongue?
Some types of aphtae resemble a herpes infection in appearance. In contrast, however, they are usually not contagious. Interpersonal contacts such as kissing, cuddling with the child or drinking from the same glass are easily possible.
The aphthae on the tongue can be problematic because of their pain or because you might have to explain yourself to your fellow men. Nevertheless, one should be careful, because it is an inflammation of the oral mucosa and viruses can quickly cause damage there. The only time the tongue aphthae are contagious is when they have formed as a result of a herpes infection.
If necessary, a doctor should be consulted and the blisters treated with medication. The healing time is about 10 days. Since one is contagious during this time compared to other people, activities such as kissing should be avoided.
