Yeast infection or candidiasis if affects mouth or oral cavity it is called oral yeast infection or thrush. Candida albicans the main fungus responsible for yeast infection grows best in mildly acidic and moist environments, mouth is one such environment. Oral yeast infection is mostly transferred from mother to infant during birth. It can also develop due to thumb sucking, nail biting, or chewing or sucking of objects that have yeast on them or are infected.
Oral yeast infection can also develop after consuming antibiotic medicines for long. These antibiotic medicines actually kill all protective bacteria which hinder and inhibit the growth of this infectious fungus, thus providing perfect medium for them to grow and multiply rapidly. People suffering with HIV aids and diabetes mellitus are also at a higher risk of developing such thrash in their mouth sooner or later.
Oral candidiasis is diagnosed easily by examining mouth and oral cavity carefully. Usually a thick whitish plague on tongue sides is formed in mouth. It actually looks worst than it sounds, these white patches are coated in sides of both cheeks and appear awful. In some cases they even spread to roof of mouth, lips and gums. Patients feel pain and find difficulty in eating. If a child is refusing to eat properly and complains about burning in mouth he should be immediately taken to a doctor for thorough oral check up.
Nipples and breasts of mothers who are nursing their child can also get affected if her baby develops oral thrush, which could cause pain during breastfeeding. Candida albicana is ubiquitous and found every where so no matter how cleanly you sterilize bottles, pacifiers still they get in touch with oral cavity of babies.
Oral yeast infection or thrush is usually treated with medicines like Nystatin and Fluconazole (diflucan), dosage for each time and number of times may depend on the condition of disease and several other factors, so it is best advised to consult a doctor before taking any medicine. Though this condition is painful and look awful but it is not that severely harmful for overall health, it vanishes soon and easily if treated properly.