Trench mouth

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Dental anatomy

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Trench mouth

Alternative Names:

Vincent's stomatitis; Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis

Symptoms:

Painful gums
Profuse gum bleeding in response to any pressure or irritation
Gums appear reddened and swollen
Grayish film on the gums
Crater-like ulcers between the teeth
Foul taste in the mouth
Bad breath

Note: Symptoms often begin suddenly.

Signs and tests:

The health care provider will examine your mouth to look for signs of trench mouth:

Inflamed gums
Destruction of gum tissue around the teeth
Crater-like ulcers filled with plaque and food debris.

There may be a gray film caused by decomposed gum tissue. Occasionally, fever may be present or lymph nodes of the head and neck may be swollen.

Dental X-rays or facial X-rays may be performed to determine the extent of infection and tissue destruction.

This disease may also alter the results of a throat swab culture.

Review Date: 10/20/2004
Reviewed By: Thomas A. Owens, M.D., Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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