Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Mouth Disorders
Your mouth is one of the most important parts of your body. It has many different functions. It allows you to:
- Take in food and drink
- Breathe in air
- Start digestion, with your teeth chewing the food you eat and your salivary glands releasing saliva to help break down the food
- Speak and sing
- Show emotion, by smiling or pouting
Any problem that affects your mouth can make it hard to eat, drink, or even smile. Some common mouth problems include:
- Cold sores - painful sores on the lips and around the mouth, caused by a virus
- Canker sores - painful sores in the mouth, caused by bacteria or viruses
- Thrush - a yeast infection that causes white patches in your mouth
- Leukoplakia - white patches of excess cell growth on the cheeks, gums or tongue, common in smokers
- Dry mouth - a lack of enough saliva, caused by some medicines and certain diseases
- Gum or tooth problems
- Bad breath
Treatment for mouth disorders varies, depending on the problem. If a mouth problem is caused by some other disease, treating that disease can help. It is also important to keep your mouth clean and healthy by brushing, flossing, and not using tobacco.
It sits within Ear, Nose and Throat and Mouth and Teeth.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Mouth Disorders
18,640 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- A Phase 3 Trial of DT120 for Major Depressive Disorder (Ascend)Definium Therapeutics US, Inc.
- Vitamin A Supplementation and Breast Milk Vitamin A Levels in Mothers of Preterm InfantsUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center
- Comparative Effectiveness of Migraine Preventive Medications: The APT Comparison StudyMayo Clinic
- Evaluation of NIPSA Using Alloplastic Bone Graft and Cross-Linked Hyaluronic Acid in theTreatment of Intrabony DefectsMansoura University
- Photodynamic Diagnosis of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Using Fluorescence Endoscopy and Oral 5-ALAHenry Ford Health System
- Natural History of Trisomy 8-Associated Autoinflammatory Disease (TRIAD) and Related DisordersNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Research already completed
- Trial of Oral Digoxin in Individuals With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)Massachusetts General Hospital
- Spirulina Oral Supplement for Enhancing Host Resilience to Virus InfectionUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center
- Intestinal Bacteria and Ocular Inflammatory DiseaseNational Eye Institute (NEI)
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Common Oral LesionsAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
- Mouth Problems, NoninjuryKaiser Permanente
- Mouth Sores FAQsAmerican Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery
Diagnosis and Tests
- Mouth ProblemsAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
Living With
- Mouth Dryness or Thick SalivaAmerican Cancer Society
Related Issues
- Facial HemiatrophyGenetic and Rare Diseases Information Center
- HIV/AIDS & Oral HealthNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
- Mouth and Throat Problems: Cancer Treatment Side EffectsNational Cancer Institute
- Mouth Sores Caused by Cancer Treatment: How to CopeMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Oromandibular DystoniaDystonia Medical Research Foundation
- Spit Happens: The Surprising Importance of SalivaNational Institutes of Health
Genetics
- White sponge nevus: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Mouth DiseasesNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Stomatitis, AphthousNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Mouth Diseases. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Mouth Disorders, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.