Children with oral ulcers should be vigilant against hand, foot, and mouth disease

Oral ulcers are a common oral disease, but they can also be a manifestation of hand, foot, and mouth disease. Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a common infectious disease in infants and young children caused by enteroviruses. It first appeared in Shanghai in 1981 in China, and in recent years, there has been a large-scale epidemic trend.
Cai Chenxing, a pediatric dentist at Jiangsu Provincial Stomatological Hospital, stated that kindergartens and nurseries are the main places of prevalence of hand, foot, and mouth disease, with children under 3 years old being the main victims. Hand, foot, and mouth disease can be transmitted through airborne droplets. In addition, fecal contamination of hands and utensils, contact or drinking contaminated water sources can also cause illness.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease can occur all year round, but it is most prevalent in summer and autumn. The prodromal symptoms include low fever, drowsiness, enlarged lymph nodes, and pain in the mouth and throat. Most children develop a rash on the second day of the disease. The rash is distributed eccentrically and is commonly seen on the back of the fingers, toes, and around the nails. It can also be seen on the palms, soles of the feet, perineum, and buttocks. Starting as a bright red papule, it forms a translucent small blister one day later. If the blister is not broken or infected, it often absorbs and dries within 2-4 days, forming a thin yellowish brown scab that does not leave scars after shedding.
The oral mucosa of the child may develop scattered blisters, papules, or rashes, with a diameter of about 2-10mm and varying numbers, ranging from a few to several hundred. There is a red halo around the rash, no obvious tenderness, and a small blister in the center. After a few days, it will dry and scab. Small blisters that occur in the oral mucosa of the lips, cheeks, tongue, and palate are prone to rupture and become oral ulcers. They can be covered with a grayish yellow pseudomembrane, and the surrounding mucosa is congested and swollen. Children often have symptoms such as drooling, restlessness, and refusal to eat. The entire process of this disease takes 5-7 days, with some children lasting up to 10 days. Generally self-healing, with a good prognosis and rare complications.
Due to the mild symptoms and good prognosis of hand, foot, and mouth disease, symptomatic treatment and antiviral treatment are mainly used for treatment. Various pastes or tablets can be used for oral ulcers, such as ulcer pastes containing pearl powder and lidocaine, which have analgesic and promoting ulcer healing effects. Older children can be treated with watermelon cream or Huasu tablets. Parents should pay attention to the rest and care of their children. They can rinse their mouths with diluted saline or 0.1% chlorhexidine solution, take orally vitamins B1, B2, and C, and closely observe the child's physical condition.
The main method of preventing hand, foot, and mouth disease is to isolate children and strengthen infant and child health care to reduce the chance of infection, which is very important for kindergartens. In terms of prevention, kindergartens should pay attention to indoor air circulation and appropriate temperature, maintain good ventilation indoors, and clean and disinfect children's toys and daily necessities every day. Children should be taught to wash their hands frequently and eat more fruits and vegetables. If necessary, children can be given oral antiviral drugs such as indigo root. If an epidemic is discovered, it should be promptly reported to the local health department for proper handling.