Diagnostic Division: Food/Fluid

Definition: Disruption of the lips and/or soft tissue of the oral cavity.

RELATED FACTORS
Dehydration; NPO for more than 24 hours; Malnutrition; Decreased salivation; Medication side effects; Diminished hormone levels (women); Mouth breathing; Deficient knowledge of appropriate oral hygiene; Ineffective oral hygiene; Barriers to oral self-care/professional care; Mechanical factors (e.g., ill-fitting dentures; braces; tubes [endotrachial, nasogastric], surgery in oral cavity); Loss of supportive structures; Trauma; Cleft lip or palate; Chemical irritants (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, acidic foods, regular use of inhalers or other noxious agents); Chemotherapy; Immunosuppression; Immunocompromised; Decreased platelets; Infection; Radiation therapy; Stress; Depression

DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS

Subjective
Xerostomia [dry mouth]; Oral pain/discomfort; Reports bad taste in mouth; Diminished taste; Difficulty eating/swallowing

Objective
Coated tongue; Smooth atrophic tongue; Geographic tongue; Gingival/mucosal pallor; Stomatitis; Hyperemia; Gingival hyperplasia; Macroplasia; Vesicles; Nodules; Papules; White patches/plaques; Spongy patches; White curdlike exudate; Oral lesions/ulcers; Fissures; Bleeding; Chelitis; Desquamation; Mucosal denudation; Purulent drainage/exudates; Presence of pathogens; Enlarged tonsils; Edema; Halitosis; Gingival recession, pockets deeper than 4 mm; [Carious teeth]; Red or bluish masses (e.g., hemangiomas); Difficult speech