The symptoms can be mild or severe and may include:
Bad breath - Fever
- General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
- Sores on the inside of the cheeks or gums
- Very sore mouth with no desire to eat
Signs and tests
An examination of the mouth shows small ulcers. These ulcers are similar to mouth ulcers caused by other conditions. Your health care provider may consider other conditions if there are signs of a cough, fever, or muscle aches.
Normally, no special tests are needed to diagnose gingivostomatitis. However, the doctor may take a small piece of tissue from the sore to check for a viral or bacterial infection. This is called a culture. A
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Review Date: 02/28/2011
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of
Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of
Medicine; and Seth Schwartz, MD, MPH, Otolaryngologist, Virginia
Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David
Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
