Stomatitis condition in every regard to geographic tongue. Another synonym for geographic tongue which uses the term stomatitis is "stomatitis areata migrans". This is inflammation of the mouth caused by herpes simplex virus. Stomatitis may also be caused by chemotherapy, or radiation therapy of the oropharyngeal area. The term "mucositis" is sometimes used synonymously with stomatitis, however the former usually refers to mucosal reactions to radiotherapy or chemotherapy, and may occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract and not just in the mouth. The term "necrotizing ulcerative gingivostomatitis" is sometimes used as a synonym of the necrotizing periodontal disease more commonly termed
Aphthous stomatitis this condition. The origin of the word "canker" is thought to have been influenced by Latin, Old English, Middle English and Old North French. In Latin, "cancer" translates to "malignant tumor" or literally "crab" (related to the likening of sectioned tumors to the limbs of a crab). The closely related word in Middle English and Old North French, "chancre", now more usually applied to syphilis, is also thought to be involved. Despite this etymology, aphthous stomatitis is not a form of cancer but rather entirely benign. An aphtha (plural "aphthae") is a non specific term that refers to an ulcer