Oral candidiasis

Oral candidiasis
Other names	oral candidosis, oral thrush,[1] oropharyngeal candidiasis, moniliasis,[2] candidal stomatitis, muguet
Oral candidiasis patient showing characteristic white slough on the tongue.
Specialty	Infectious disease, dentistry, dermatology

Oral candidiasis (Acute pseudomembranous candidiasis), also known as oral thrush among other names,^[1] is candidiasis that occurs in the mouth. That is, oral candidiasis is a mycosis (yeast/fungal infection) of Candida species on the mucous membranes of the mouth.

Candida albicans is the most commonly implicated organism in this condition. C. albicans is carried in the mouths of about 50% of the world's population as a normal component of the oral microbiota.^[3] This candidal carriage state is not considered a disease, but when Candida species become pathogenic and invade host tissues, oral candidiasis can occur. This change usually constitutes an opportunistic infection by normally harmless micro-organisms because of local (i.e., mucosal) or systemic factors altering host immunity.