*Welcome to the OutUK series looking at gay men and their health brought to you in association with the NHS* website.**
	Each week we'll tackle a different topic in our A to Z of Gay Health. We'll have features and advice on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. You can follow any of links provided below for more information direct from the NHS website, or see this week's feature P: Personality Disorders.

Oral Thrush Mouth Thrush

Oral thrush is usually harmless. It's common in babies and older people with dentures. It can be easily treated with medicines bought from a pharmacy.

Adults

Other symptoms in adults are:

cracks at the corners of the mouth
not tasting things properly
an unpleasant taste in the mouth
pain inside the mouth (for example, a sore tongue or sore gums)
difficulty eating and drinking

Oral thrush in adults is not contagious.

Babies

Babies with oral thrush may not want to feed.

Babies can pass oral thrush on through breastfeeding. This can cause nipple thrush in mothers.

If you're not sure it's oral thrush

Look at other causes of a white or sore tongue.

A pharmacist can help with oral thrush

Oral thrush can be easily treated with a mouth gel bought from a pharmacy. The gel is suitable for adults, children and babies over the age of 4 months.

Ask your pharmacist for advice. Always follow the instructions on the medicine packet.

If you leave oral thrush untreated, the infection can spread to other parts of the body.

Mouth gel shortage

There are currently supply problems with the mouth gel used to treat oral thrush (miconazole, Daktarin Oral Gel). Talk to a pharmacist or doctor about other treatments that may help.

See a GP if:

your baby is under 4 months and has signs of oral thrush
you have oral thrush and do not see any improvement after 1 week of treatment with a mouth gel
you have difficulty or pain when swallowing

How you can prevent oral thrush

Oral thrush is an infection caused by a fungus called Candida. Some things can make the fungus grow more than usual.

You might get thrush if you're:

taking antibiotics over a long time
using asthma inhalers
having cancer treatment like chemotherapy

There are some things you can do to help prevent oral thrush.

Do

take care of your teeth: brush twice a day, clean your dentures, and go for regular check-ups even if you have dentures
brush your gums and tongue with a soft toothbrush if you do not have any teeth
rinse your mouth after eating or taking medicine
go to regular check-ups if you have a long-term condition like diabetes
sterilise dummies regularly
sterilise bottles after each use

Don't

do not wear dentures at night
do not keep wearing dentures if they do not fit properly - see your dentist
do not smoke

OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health continues and you can read this week's feature P: Personality Disorders. We have covered many subjects in this series and you can catch up with all of our Previous A to Z Features. If you want to find out more about this particular topic you can visit the Original article on the NHS website. If you are worried by any aspect of your health make sure you go and see your doctor or book an appointment at your local clinic.
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