1. Get the Thermometer
You are more likely to see gingivostomatitis in your child than in yourself. This mouth condition, which is usually caused by initial contact with the herpes simplex type 1 virus, occurs in most people during their early years. In rare cases, it may be caused by the Coxsackie virus. Patients may or may not show symptoms, but if they do, a high fever will be the first sign.
Take your child's temperature. If she is infected with the virus, it may be as high as 104 degrees F. If she isn't showing any other cold symptoms, such as a runny nose or sneezing, she may have gingivostomatitis.
2. Examine the Mouth
You or your child may notice very red, sore or bleeding gums at first. While this is a symptom of gingivitis, the problem is more indicative of gingivostomatitis when small blisters or ulcers begin to appear. They start as red bumps on the lips, inside cheeks or on the gums and tongue. Those on the lips look like cold sores. There may be many or few, and the irritated area will turn red on the outside and gray to yellow in the center. These are very tender and may bleed. Bad breath often accompanies gingivostomatitis.
3. Get a Doctor's Diagnosis
A simple, painless doctor's exam will confirm whether you or your child has gingivostomatitis and which virus is causing it. Your health care provider may only need to glance inside the mouth, palpate the lymph nodes and check your child's temperature to determine whether gingivitis or gingivostomatitis is present.
If there is a question as to the true viral cause, or if the ulcers are suspected to be symptoms of an unrelated condition, the physician may take a sample culture for testing. In adults, measurable symptoms and a complete medical history may reveal the need for further testing before a doctor can confirm or dismiss a gingivostomatitis diagnosis.
