Oral Thrush

(Candidiasis, Moniliasis, Yeast Infections)

In this factsheet:
• The Facts on Oral Thrush
• Causes of Oral Thrush
• Symptoms and Complications of Oral Thrush
• Diagnosing Oral Thrush
• Treating and Preventing Oral Thrush

Diagnosing Oral Thrush

To make a diagnosis your doctor will ask about your diet and recent use of antibiotics or medications that can weaken the immune system. The doctor will also take into consideration any history of diabetes, cancer, HIV or other chronic diseases. Candidiasis is easy to identify. The yeast can be seen under a microscope after being scraped off the affected area. However, since yeast is normally there anyway, your doctor will want to be sure that it's candida causing the problem and not something else.

Treating and Preventing Oral Thrush

Candidiasis isn't normally a dangerous condition except in the rare cases when it enters the blood and spreads to vital organs of people with weakened immune systems. For oral thrush, a suspension of antifungal medication can be swished in the mouth and swallowed, or sometimes the doctor will have you dissolve an antifungal lozenge in the mouth. For severe and recurrent cases, antifungal medication taken by mouth may need to be taken for extended periods of time.

If the oral thrush is caused by the use of inhaled corticosteroids, rinsing the mouth after using the inhaler will help prevent the infection.

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