The tongue often indicates the state of the body. Yellow plaque on the child's tongue it causes anxiety caring parents. What is the reason for its appearance and should you be afraid when you see a yellow coating on your baby’s tongue?
What it is?
The surface of the tongue consists of many layers of epithelium. Pink color language confirms the health of the child. Normally, a light whitish coating is allowed, consisting of food debris, salivary proteins, microscopic remains of the vital activity of microorganisms living in the oral cavity. The plaque may disappear and acquire a variety of colors. If the surface of the child’s tongue has turned yellow, parents should understand the origin of this change.
The resulting plaque may indicate a developing disease
Causes
The most popular reasons include:
- Inadequate oral care. Most parents instill in their children the skills of brushing their teeth, completely forgetting about the language. It is the tongue that is the filter that delays the penetration of microbes into the oral cavity, and it is necessary to clean it. The procedure is unusual, but the child can easily master it and maintain the cleanliness of the oral cavity on his own.
- Getting food dyes on your tongue. Many foods contain active food colors that color the tongue. Lollipops, tea, oranges, and persimmons can cause yellow plaque to appear.
- Food spices and seasonings of bright yellow color (curry).
- The use of medications that give yellow. For example, furazolidone.
- Abundance of fatty foods.
These are the most harmless factors. Try to remove any yellowish discoloration with a toothbrush. If this is not possible and the yellow plaque does not disappear within 5–7 days, you should pay attention to possible concomitant factors that indicate the onset of the baby’s illness.
Possible diseases signaled by yellow plaque in a child
Plaque can appear not only due to the use of coloring products or drinks and improper care, but also due to the development of certain diseases.
- In combination with heartburn, flatulence, belching, plaque indicates a disease gastrointestinal tract.
- Are common infectious diseases. With any type of inflammation, the child’s body temperature rises, the surface of the tongue becomes dry and acquires a yellowish tint.
- Poisoning. The tongue in this case turns yellow from dehydration due to diarrhea, vomiting and elevated temperature child's body.
- Liver pathologies or gallbladder. The color is given by bilirubin, an increase in the level of which can be an indicator of serious changes in the functioning of the liver, the presence of jaundice. Nausea, pain in the upper abdomen, combined with a discolored surface of the tongue, indicate possible improper circulation of bile.
Parents of newborns and infants should pay special attention to the color of the tongue. A changed color may indicate physiological jaundice, stomatitis, or incipient thrush. A baby with a plaque that has formed must be shown to a doctor.
A coating on a baby's tongue may be the beginning of stomatitis.
Necessary examinations
To identify the cause of yellow plaque, the pediatrician may prescribe various examinations:
- blood, urine, stool tests;
- consultation with a gastroenterologist;
- blood chemistry;
- Ultrasound of the digestive organs.
Necessity diagnostic procedures the doctor will determine based on general condition baby, parents' complaints.
How to get rid of it?
First, you need to consult a pediatrician to rule out the possibility pathological changes in the child's body. If the yellowness of the tongue is not associated with diseases, get rid of unpleasant raid simple rules will help:
Video: coating on the tongue - what does it mean?
Differential diagnosis based on examination of the tongue is still emerging. But everyone knows that if a white coating suddenly becomes noticeable on it, it is better to find out the cause of its occurrence and determine whether it is worth contacting a doctor.
"Healthy" plaque
Many people notice a white coating on their tongue, but not everyone knows the reasons. Plaque is caused by bacteria that accumulate at the base of the tongue.
A white coating on the tongue of a teenager during puberty is quite normal phenomenon caused by a hormonal surge.
Pathological plaque
Types of plaque are characterized by the following parameters.
Color
In some diseases, the color of the plaque may become gray or even. But the shade is also often affected by water, food and smoking.
Thickness
ABOUT chronic form illness, as well as viral infections evidenced by a thick coating that does not allow the tongue itself to be seen.
Plaque location
The plaque can cover the entire tongue, or maybe only certain areas.
Consistency
There are dry, wet, greasy and curdled deposits.
Ease of release from tongue
White coating on the tongue is not a cause for concern if the layers are painlessly and easily removed from the surface of the tongue. If it is dense and difficult to separate, then the surface of the tongue is most likely erosive.
Diseases that cause white plaque
Despite the same bacteria causing a white coating on the tongue, the reasons can be completely different. It is usually caused by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, various infections, etc.
Infections
In case of infection, plaque:
- Whitish and with a gray tint. The tongue may become swollen. These symptoms appear on the first day, but disappear after about a week. The tongue becomes dry and red. Most likely, these are signs of scarlet fever.
- With diphtheria, the root of the tongue is covered with a dirty white film, which is painful to remove.
- Dysentery is characterized by a thick white film covering the eroded tongue.
- With cholera, the tongue becomes very dark, almost black.
- In diseases such as whooping cough and foot-and-mouth disease, the tongue is covered with a white-yellow coating with an unpleasant and pungent odor.
- If pinkish-brown flaky layers appear on the tongue, this is a sign of pityriasis rosea.
- Thrush causes a cheesy white coating on the tongue. After its removal, the surface of the tongue begins to hurt very much.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
The following diseases can cause plaque:
- If the tongue is completely covered with a grayish and dense coating, except for its sides and tip, this is most likely gastritis. A bitter or sour taste appears in the mouth and dryness.
- A gray-white and dense coating on the back of the tongue is a sign of a stomach ulcer.
- Stomach cancer causes a white thick coating of mucus and microflora.
- If the front surface of the tongue is covered with a yellowish and dense coating, then the cause is liver or gall bladder disease.
Other diseases
Plaque on the tongue can also be caused by other diseases. For example, dry layers of a light shade and a pale tongue are a sign of dehydration. Radiation sickness is characterized by the fact that the tongue begins to swell and become covered with a thick white coating and cracks.
Plaque in children
In the case of children, it is still better to show the white plaque to a pediatrician or dentist.
Gastritis and dysbiosis in a baby
Gastritis and dysbiosis in a baby are indicated by symptoms such as: bloating, vomiting, lack of weight, colic, diarrhea or constipation. In addition, a thick white layer of plaque appears on the child’s tongue. If all these manifestations of the disease occur in your baby, you need to urgently go to a gastroenterologist.
Pediatric stomatitis
When uneven whitish moods appear on the child’s tongue interspersed. At the same time, the baby’s behavior will suddenly change: he will refuse to eat, cry a lot and be capricious. Children who can already speak usually complain that their tongue stings all the time. Stomatitis is treated by a dentist.
Intestinal disorder
In order to determine what kind of intestinal problem has arisen, doctors look at the location of the plaque that has formed. When there are disorders of the large intestine, white deposits form in the posterior third. If you have problems with duodenum, the plaque is located on the middle part of the tongue.
Other childhood pathologies
If it covers only the tip of the tongue, then the problem is in respiratory tract. With acute respiratory infections and flu, the tongue stings and becomes covered with whitish spots.
Prevention and treatment
In order to prevent the appearance of white plaque, it is very important to monitor the oral cavity and its hygiene. The occurrence of plaque can cause a number of infectious diseases.
Therefore, do not forget to fight the plaque itself, and not just the cause that caused it.
The appearance of a white bacterial coating on the surface of the tongue may be one of the symptoms of diseases internal organs or indicate the presence of infection in oral cavity The child has. It is worth paying attention to the density, color, consistency of plaque, the area of its localization and accompanying symptoms.
If a white film covers the tongue in the morning, it can be easily removed after hygiene procedures, this is considered the norm and should not cause concern among parents. But if your baby is capricious, sleeps poorly, or refuses to eat, you need to see a pediatrician.
The tongue may become colored after taking dairy products or eating a lot of sweets. At the same time, the plaque is easily cleaned.
What should a child's tongue look like?
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Options |
Norm |
Pathology |
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Not enlarged |
The tongue is enlarged, swollen, marks from teeth on the surface |
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Humidity |
Moderate |
Feeling of constant dry mouth |
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Thin film, easily removed when brushing teeth |
The presence of dense plaque that is difficult to remove |
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Unpleasant smell |
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Sensitivity is normal |
Violation taste sensations, pain, burning, metallic taste |
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Pale pink |
Dark red, white |
The area of localization of plaque on the surface of the tongue is also important. The coated tip indicates disturbances in the functioning of the heart and liver; the middle is affected by pathologies of the stomach, spleen and pancreas. The back part becomes covered with plaque in case of intestinal dysfunction, and the sides in case of kidney disease.
Poor hygiene
Why does a white coating form on the surface of the tongue in children? As soon as the first baby teeth appear, they need to be cleaned regularly. With unsatisfactory hygiene in the oral cavity, pathogenic microorganisms actively multiply, forming bacterial plaque and 
causing caries.
U small child cleaning is carried out using special napkins, which removes plaque from the teeth and tongue; children who are already 3 years old brush their teeth with children's pastes and brushes.
In the carious cavities of the affected teeth live a large number of pathogenic microorganisms, which can also provoke the formation of plaque and unpleasant things. It is necessary to carry out caries treatment in a timely manner so as not to lose baby tooth ahead of schedule.
Stomatitis
The most common cause of congestion white plaque stomatitis appears on the child's tongue. The nature of the disease varies depending on the causative agent of the infection:
- Candidiasis (thrush) is caused by yeast fungi of the genus Candida. Most often occurs in infants who are breastfeeding. On the child's tongue, upper palate, gums, inside On the cheeks and lips, white spots appear formed by a cheesy coating, which, when removed, leaves bleeding erosions. The specks merge to form a continuous film. Plaque can also be found on the lips, in the corners of the mouth, forming pockets.
- Traumatic stomatitis appears after damage to the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. The wound becomes infected, covered with plaque, and can ulcerate and fester.
- Aphthous stomatitis is a lesion of the mucous membranes and tongue by erosions-aphthae, which are covered with a dense white coating. Usually single ulcers appear with clear hyperemic contours. A plaque of dense consistency, after removal of which a bleeding wound remains.
- Necrotizing ulcerative stomatitis is characterized by the formation of deep ulcers covered with a yellow-white coating. The ulceration can be quite deep, purulent masses form, and the temperature rises.
When ulcers appear, children do not eat well, sleep poorly, and are constantly capricious.
Appears from the mouth bad smell, with inflammation, body temperature rises.
Treatment is primarily aimed at eliminating the factors that caused the pathology. Prescribes therapy pediatric dentist. It is necessary to regularly perform antiseptic treatment of the oral cavity, lubricate wounds with medicinal gels, strengthen the immune system, and take vitamins. Additionally, a diet is prescribed that excludes foods that irritate damaged mucous membranes, sweets, and starchy foods. It's good to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. In severe cases, treatment is carried out in a hospital setting under the supervision of a doctor.
Digestive diseases
A coating on a child's tongue may be a sign of a disorder in the digestive tract. This bacterial film persists throughout the day and gradually becomes denser. Additionally, the baby has complaints of abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Abnormal bowel movements, flatulence, intestinal colic, children lose weight.
With gastritis and dysbacteriosis, the surface of the tongue is covered with a dense white-gray coating, and the papillae may be enlarged. The child is bothered by dry mouth, belching, and heaviness in the stomach after eating.
Disturbances in the digestive tract can cause the development of thrush due to disruption of the natural microflora of the oral cavity.
Why did my child have spots with a white coating on his tongue? Gastrointestinal diseases, endocrine system can cause the formation of glossitis, whereby red, inflamed spots and areas covered with a white coating form on the baby’s tongue. This phenomenon is called " geographical language" At severe stages Glossitis affects the tongue with erosions that cause burning and pain.
If such signs appear, the child should be shown to a doctor to establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
Infectious diseases
Why did the child’s tongue become covered with a white coating and the temperature rise? The reason may be colds: flu, sore throat, pharyngitis, laryngitis, acute respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia. In such cases, the tongue becomes bright red, covered with white spots of bacterial plaque. In pathologies of the throat, plaque covers the soft palate, tonsils, and larynx. The child coughs, complains of sore throat, rhinitis, bad feeling, chills Treatment is prescribed by a pediatrician.
Diphtheria is a very dangerous disease of the larynx for a child’s health; the main symptom is the formation of white plaque in the throat, tongue and tonsils.
With scarlet fever, a rash appears throughout the body and on the surface of the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. The blisters break and form painful ulcers that may become covered with plaque.
