|  | Dental Health | Dental Disorders

Mouth Disease Symptoms

Oral symptoms can be a manifestation of dental or medical diseases. The Massachusetts Dental Society states 95 percent of diabetics suffer from periodontal disease, making diabetes a dental and medical problem. On their respective websites, the American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology, CureResearch.com and Health-Nexus describe symptoms that apply to a wide range of conditions, stressing the importance of dental and medical professionals working together to identify and treat diseases that overlap into both fields, such as those described below.

  1. Infection

    • An infection in the mouth can be a symptom of gingivitis (inflamed and swollen gums), trench mouth (severe bacterial infection of the gums), Vincent’s disease (a form of gingivitis accompanied by ulcers), and periodontal disease, which attacks the underlying support structures of the teeth. Infections in the mouth can also be caused by medical conditions such as Crohn’s disease, HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea and genital herpes.

    Pain

    • Pain is a general symptom of numerous mouth diseases including tooth decay (considered a disease of the mouth), mouth ulcers, abscess, gingivitis, TMJ syndrome, herpes stomatitis (mouth infection caused by the herpes virus) and oral cancer. Medical causes include diabetes, allergies, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and other gastrointestinal diseases.

    Odor

    • Mouth odor can be the result of tooth decay, infection and gum disease. Medical causes of mouth odor include lung abscess, gastrointestinal disorders, esophageal cancer and diabetic ketoacidosis (accumulation of ketones in the blood).

    Swelling

    • Herpes stomatitis is a disease of the mouth causing blisters, pain and swelling. Swelling can also be an indication of infection or abscesses caused by oral diseases such as periodontitis (severe gum disease). Medical diseases like mumps (swollen cheeks) and Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that attacks saliva glands and tear glands, also cause swelling in the mouth.

    Bleeding

    • Bleeding can be an indication of oral cancer, gum disease and stomatitis (an inflammation of the mucous lining of the mouth) and mouth ulcers. Medical causes of bleeding in the mouth are thrombocytopenia (a blood disease), trichinosis (caused by eating undercooked meats and can cause bleeding under the tongue in addition to its other symptoms).

    White Patches

    • White patches can be a symptom of diseases that attack the oral mucosa, the mucous membranes (tissues) that line the oral cavity. Two such diseases are oral candidiasis (a fungal infection) and mucosal lichen planus (occurring as a reaction to chronic hepatitis C). Specialists in the field of oral medicine, the branch of dentistry that treats conditions with medical characteristics, treat these diseases. Medical causes of white patches include oral cancer, HIV/AIDS and vitiligo (a disease in which pigment cells are destroyed, causing the appearance of white patches).

    Redness

    • Mouth redness can be a symptom of oral herpes or medical conditions such as measles with red spots appearing in the mouth.

Dental Disorders - Related Articles