Oral thrush is usually harmless. It's common in babies and also older people with dentures. It can be treated with antifungal medicine.

Other symptoms in adults are:

• cracks at the corners of the mouth
• not tasting things properly
• an unpleasant taste in the mouth
• pain inside the mouth (for example, a sore tongue or sore gums)
• difficulty eating and drinking

Oral thrush in adults is not contagious.

Babies

Babies with oral thrush may not want to feed.

Look at other causes of a white or sore tongue.

A GP can prescribe antifungal medicine to treat oral thrush, called nystatin. It comes as a liquid, which you should hold in your mouth for as long as possible before swallowing it.

See a GP if:

Oral thrush is an infection caused by a fungus called Candida. Some things can make the fungus grow more than usual.

You might get thrush if you're:

• taking antibiotics over a long time
• using asthma inhalers
• having cancer treatment like chemotherapy

There are some things you can do to help prevent oral thrush.