Definition of Acute membranous gingivitis
Acute membranous gingivitis: 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) have
been thought to be involved, but the full story behind this long-
known disease is still not clear.
This condition is also called 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, acute membranous
gingivitis goes by many other names including acute necrotizing
ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG), fusospirillary gingivitis,
fusospirillosis, fusospirochetal gingivitis, necrotizing gingivitis,
phagedenic gingivitis, ulcerative gingivitis, Vincent's gingivitis,
Vincent's infection, and Vincent's stomatitis.
Last Editorial Review: 6/15/1998
Back to MedTerms online medical dictionary A-Z List