Have you got a health concern you’d like some advice on? We’ve got our GloHealth Doctor, Dr. Conor Fitzgerald, on hand every week to answer your questions.* This week he’s talking about headlice and mouth ulcers…
“Hi, I’m from Cork and have four kids in primary school at the moment. My eldest girl is in 4th class and unfortunately this is her third time already this school year coming home from school with head lice. I am getting worried with using such a strong medical shampoo on her head, how often can I use the head lice treatment? And are there any tips on trying to prevent head lice at all? I’ll appreciate any advice at this stage please!”
This is the second question regarding head lice in children over the past number of weeks which I think shows it certainly is an ongoing significant problem in Ireland.
Head lice in children can be very frustrating especially when you make such an effort to treat the lice. It is notoriously difficult to prevent the spread of head lice among children in school. There’s so much close contact among children and their belongings that lice can spread easily. It’s no reflection on your hygiene habits or those of your children, and it’s not a failure on your part as a parent if your child gets head lice.
As you are probably only too aware there are a number of medicated treatments available. It is important that you follow the instructions exactly as printed on the leaflet accompanying the medication, and this includes not using more than the recommenced amount. If the lice are still an issue after following these instructions you should contact your GP who advise you further.
Useful tips include:
Ask your child to avoid head-to-head contact with classmates during play and other activities.
Instruct your child not to share personal belongings such as hats, scarves, coats, combs, brushes, hair accessories and headphones.
Instruct your child to avoid shared spaces where hats and clothing from more than one student are hung on a common hook or kept in a locker.
However, it’s not realistic to expect that you and your child can eliminate all the types of contact that may result in the spread of lice. If there is an outbreak of lice in the school, it is important that all parents are informed and that all affected children are treated, otherwise the lice will continue to spread to child after child in the school. I wish you all the best with this difficult problem.
“Both myself and my partner suffer a lot from mouth ulcers. They are quite sore. I know that I do get them if I have had alcohol the night before, but is there any way to prevent mouth ulcers? Are they contagious? Thank you very much”
Mouth ulcers are small shallow lesions that develop on the soft tissues in your mouth or at the base of your gums. They are not contagious, however they can be very painful and can make eating and talking difficult.
There are many triggers for mouth ulcers including, but not limited to:
A minor injury to your mouth form dental work, brushing your teeth overzealously, sports injuries etc.
Spicy foods
Certain toothpastes and mouth washes containing sodium lauryl sulfate
Food sensitivies espescaially chocolate, eggs, nuts and cheese as well as acidic foods including pineapples and certain alcohol drinks.
A diet lacking B12, folic acid or iron.
An allergic reaction to bacteria in your mouth.
Hormonal shifts during menstruation
The presence of H. pylori ( these are the bacteria that also cause peptic ulcers).
Emotional stress
There are other rarer medical conditions that can also cause mouth ulcers including but not limited to inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, diseases that suppress the immune system etc.
As you are unfortunately aware mouth ulcers often recur, but here are some lifestyle measures you could try:
Avoid foods and drinks that seem to irritate your mouth
Eat healthy, plenty of fruit and vegetables will help prevent nutritional deficiencies.
Don’t chew and talk at the same time (most of us will have been told this when we were children!) to prevent minor trauma to the lining of the mouth.
Ensure good oral hygiene and consider using a soft brush.
Try to reduce stresses in your life.
IF your mouth ulcers are recurrent you should talk to your GP, he/she may decide to perform some tests to check for nutritional deficiencies, though often no clear cause is found.
I hope this information helps.
If you’ve got a question you want to put to our GloHealth Doctor, just drop us a mail to [email protected] – all emails will be treated in the strictest confidence.
*If you have ongoing concerns about your symptoms, please contact your GP
Dr. Conor Fitzgerald, GloHealth Medical Council
MB BCh BAO DME MICGP
Dr. Conor Fitzgerald studied medicine at UCD, worked in Naas General Hospital and also in the Adelaide & Meath hospital, incorporating the National Childrens’ Hospital, (AMNCH) Tallaght. He trained on the Mid Leinster GP Training Scheme and worked as a GP in Wicklow. Dr. Fitzgerald is currently working in GP practice in Lucan, Co.Dublin.
