This can be caused by dry mouth , deficiency in vitamin C,  denture with a poor fit (abrasion on mouth), radiotherapy or chemotherapy causing apoptosis.

 

Treatment:

The underlying cause should be treated, analgesia in the form of gargle or local anaesthetic

used.

 

 Local pain treated with;

 Benzydamine (spray or mouthwash) is a short acting anaesthetic but it may cause stinging and may require dilution if this occurs.

 

 Lidocaine 5% ointment or 10% spray but this only provides a short duration of effect and care should be taken to avoid coating the pharynx with the anaesthetic as this may produce choking

during ingestion of food. It is recommended for use in severe pain such as mucositis

induced by chemotherapy.

Systemic analgesic can be used based on the preference of patients and when

topical analegesic is not providing adequate relief.

 

 Severe pain treat with:

 Combination of systemic and local analgesic such as steroids,NSAID and opioid i.e morphine if no factors exists which prevents the use of these analgesics.