Trench Mouth

During World War 1 (1914-1918) some of the soldiers at that time who were living in trenches could not take proper care of their oral hygiene partly because of the unavailability of oral products. These soldiers ended up with very painful bleeding gums with accompanying mouth odour.

This was how the disease got its name.

The journey to the trenches

The mouth is composed of hundreds of microorganisms already and an uncontrollable increase in their number, as a result of poor oral hygiene, could trigger off dental conditions for which trench mouth is among.

Trench mouth, also known as Vincent’s disease is an acute dental condition characterized by a sudden inflammation and bleeding of the gums.

Unlike periodontal disease, trench mouth can occur at any age so long as an individual is malnourished, has a poor oral hygiene or patients with compromised immunity.  

      Symptoms 

• Bad breath.
• Fever and fatigue.
• Red, swollen, bleeding gums.
• Painful gums.
• Swollen glands on the neck

Prevention

You can read up my post on periodontal disease to learn how you can prevent this disease.

Managing your stress effectively is also important in preventing this disease and please Learn how you can manage your stress level here