Definition
Within the first months of life, babies start to get teeth. Colloquially, this is often referred to as “teething”. Again and again parents report about a skin rash of their baby during teething. In fact, it is often possible to establish a temporal connection between teething and the appearance of a rash that is not due to any other cause (neurodermatitis, infections such as scarlet fever, chickenpox).
Symptoms
The skin rash manifests itself in the form of a reddening of the skin, which can be either uniform over the entire area or patchy. It is generally not restricted to certain parts of the body, but in most cases it occurs in the bends of the joints, at the mouth (due to the often simultaneously increased salivation) or at the bottom. Since the rash is often accompanied by itching, it can be a great burden for both child and parents.
In some children, teething is quite uncomplicated. A rash while teething is not defined as such. A rash is also not common. Occasionally, slight redness is seen in the area of the cheeks. However, rashes that affect other parts of the body or are accompanied by other symptoms such as fever are more likely to indicate the presence of another disease.
Causes
Skin rashes are not uncommon in babies. Harmless infections are common, especially during the time when the children start to have their first teeth. The immune system of the children develops and gets to know new viruses and bacteria again and again.
Skin rashes and other symptoms are therefore common. However, these should not be mistakenly associated with teething: In itself, teething does not lead to skin rashes. However, the simultaneous occurrence of skin rashes and the growth of new teeth is often given.
Mostly viruses are responsible for this. Other skin diseases such as neurodermatitis in babies can also cause rashes in babies. A clearly defined connection between skin rash and teeth in babies can only be described for certain localizations of the rash.
For example, the breaking through of the tooth first creates a penetration port for pathogens, which leads to an inflammation of the interior of the mouth, especially the gums. This inflammation alone can lead to swelling and redness of the baby’s cheeks, which can resemble a skin rash. However, the inflammation also results in increased saliva flow and thus increased “drooling”.
The permanent moistening of the skin around the mouth eventually leads to the typical perioral (around the mouth) rash. A skin rash on the buttocks during teething is attributed to the fact that, due to the development of the above-mentioned entry ports, the saliva is enriched with germs, which finally enter the stool and urine by swallowing the saliva. The situation is different with a skin rash in the articular arches during dentistry.
This can reflect a so-called dental neurodermatitis. The term neurodermatitis (atopic dermatitis) describes the increased predisposition of some people to the development of non-infectious skin rashes. Often neurodermatitis manifests itself for the first time ever during teething, as the latter is a heavy strain on the baby’s organism. The skin rash in the context of atopic dermatitis is more likely to be spotty (the spots are about the size of 1 euro coins, for example) than a large-area rash.
