Mouth ulcers

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Oral thrush

Canker sore (aphthous ulcer)

Lichen planus on the oral mucosa

Mouth ulcers

Definition:

Mouth ulcers are sores or open lesions within the mouth caused by various disorders. (See also mouth sores or aphthous ulcer.)

Alternative Names:

Oral ulcer; Stomatitis - ulcerative; Ulcer - mouth

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Mouth ulcers are caused by many disorders. These include canker sores, leukoplakia, gingivostomatitis, oral cancer, oral lichen planus, oral thrush, herpes simplex, and other disorders. The skin lesion of histoplasmosis may also appear as a mouth ulcer.

Aphthous ulcer is more common in young adults than in children or older adults.

Review Date: 1/24/2005
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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