Definition of Vincent angina
Vincent angina: This is trench mouth, a
progressive painful infection with ulceration, swelling and
sloughing off of dead tissue from the mouth and throat due to the
spread of infection from the gums.
Certain germs (including fusiform bacteria and
spirochetes) are thought to be involved. Vincent's angina is best treated with the antibiotic penicillin.
This condition is also called Vincent (or Vincent's) angina after the French
physician Henri Vincent (1862-1950). The word "angina" comes from the
Latin "angere" meaning "to choke or throttle."
As with most poorly understood diseases, Vincent angina goes by
many other names including acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis
(ANUG), acute membranous gingivitis, fusospirillary gingivitis,
fusospirillosis, fusospirochetal gingivitis, necrotizing gingivitis,
phagedenic gingivitis, ulcerative gingivitis, Vincent stomatitis,
Vincent gingivitis, and Vincent infection.
Last Editorial Review: 9/13/2001
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