| Oral candidiasis | |
|---|---|
| Other names | oral candidosis, oral thrush,[1] oropharyngeal candidiasis, moniliasis,[2] candidal stomatitis, muguet |
 | |
| Oral candidiasis patient showing characteristic white slough on the tongue. | |
| Specialty | Infectious disease, dentistry, dermatology |
Oral candidiasis (Acute pseudomembranous candidiasis), which is also known as oral thrush, among other names,[1] is candidiasis that occurs in the mouth. That is, oral candidiasis is a mycosis (yeast/fungal infection) of Candida species on the mucous membranes of the mouth.
Candida albicans is the most commonly implicated organism in this condition. C. albicans is carried in the mouths of about 50% of the world's population as a normal component of the oral microbiota.[3] This candidal carriage state is not considered a disease, but when Candida species become pathogenic and invade host tissues, oral candidiasis can occur. This change usually constitutes an opportunistic infection by normally harmless micro-organisms because of local (i.e., mucosal) or systemic factors altering host immunity.
- ^ a b James WD, Elston DM, Berger TG, Andrews GC (2006). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier. p. 308. ISBN 978-0-7216-2921-6. OCLC 62736861.
- ^ Scully C (2008). Oral and maxillofacial medicine: the basis of diagnosis and treatment (2nd ed.). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. pp. 191–199. ISBN 9780443068188.
- ^ Kerawala C, Newlands C, eds. (2010). Oral and maxillofacial surgery. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 446, 447. ISBN 9780199204830.