Question
Recently observed that a child has a thick coating on their tongue and a strange taste in their mouth, accompanied by a slight cough. How should one handle a child with thick, white tongue coating?
Answer
Thick, white coating on a child’s tongue can be caused by various factors. If it is due to milk residue adhering to the tongue or oral mucosa, forming a layer of pale white material, family members can use a cotton cloth dampened with water to gently wipe it away and increase the child’s water intake in daily life. If the child’s mouth is infected with candidiasis due to fungal infection, then using sodium bicarbonate solution for cleaning or applying clotrimazole suspension is necessary. If the thick, white coating is due to dysfunction of the spleen and stomach, consider giving the child oral Chinese medicine to regulate the spleen and stomach.