Effect of different treatments on recurrent aphthous stomatitis: laser versus medication.

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common disease with ulcers in oral cavity which may trigger chewing, speaking, and swallowing difficulties to patients. Treatment of RAS is primarily aimed at pain relief and the promotion of wound healing. However, few agents have been found to have definite effect in the management of RAS and most of the medicinal products may cause adverse reactions or other disadvantages, which makes their clinical usage questionable. The purpose of this randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) was to assess the clinical effect of diode laser and traditional medication treatment on RAS. In this study, 56 patients were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 28). Laser group was treated using diode laser (810 nm, 1.0 W, CW, irradiation time 20 s for 3 applications) once daily for continuous 3 days. Medication group was treated with triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% three times a day until the lesion was healed. Spontaneous and functional pain level on the third day of treatment was significantly less in the laser group. Significant difference was observed with respect to healing time; however, the order of difference is small albeit of statistical significance. Diode laser with the chosen parameters had better effects on pain relief and no distinct advantage on wound healing comparing with medication. Trial registration number: ChiCTR2000030298; date of registration: 26 February 2020 (retrospectively registered).

Anamnestic findings from patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common oral disorder with a prevalence varying between 5% and 66%. RAS appears in three forms; minor, major and herpetiform. The aetiology is unknown.The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between specific anamnestic information and different types of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). A group of 177 patients (mean age = 42.8 years; SD = 14.3; range 17-79 years) participated. Data were collected from a structured interview, consisting of 22 questions. Information about i) health status and medication, ii) predisposing factors, iii) RAS experience, iv) previous treatment methods and v) brand of toothpaste was collected. Sixty-eight per cent of the patients were healthy and 44% of the patients were not taking any medication. Forty-one per cent of the patients did not have any apprehension of the reason for their RAS, while stress (15.8%) was the most common apprehended aetiological factor. Sixty-two per cent had one to three minor ulcers at one time. Forty-eight per cent reported having had a major aphthous ulcer at least once.The most frequent symptom reported was pain (53.7%), followed by a smarting sensation (18.6%) and tenderness (4%). The most common treatment for RAS was Zendium™ toothpaste/mouthrinse (28%), followed by corticosteroids (25%). Fifty-four per cent of the patients experienced no relief from the treatment. When toothpaste habits were investigated, Zendium™ was used by 32% of the patients and toothpaste containing sodium-lauryl-sulfatase was used by 32%.There was no positive correlation between the use of Zendium™ toothpaste and the relief of symptoms or the size, number or frequency of the aphthous ulcers. Sixty-four per cent of the patients had never smoked, while 7% were smokers. No positive correlation was found when age, gender, allergy, medication and smoking were correlated to the frequency, number and size of the aphthous ulcers. In conclusion, we found that the aetiology behind RAS is still unclear and probably multifactorial. Standard treatment methods like Zendium™ should perhaps be questioned and this study did not find any support for smoking as a "protective" factor, i.e. having less likelihood of experiencing major problems from RAS.

Calcium regulating the polarity: a new pathogenesis of aphthous ulcer.

Aphthous ulcer is one of the most common oral conditions. Although many etiological factors have been presented, its precise cause remains unclear. Not only is calcium an integral part of the teeth and bones, but it is a second messenger involving in many physiological processes. Recently, with the study of calcium in polarity of cells or tissues, it was found that calcium can regulate the polarity of cells or tissues. The polarity of cells or tissues is the classic feature of metazoan, and this polarity makes sure the performing of cell or tissue's functions correctly. The polarity of oral mucous just likes a defender acting as a barrier to resist against external stimulation. So, we hypothesize that deficiency of calcium may be a new wire-puller of aphthous ulcer. That means, deficiency of calcium which may bring about the loss of polarity, could be a new pathogenesis of aphthous ulcer, meanwhile, supplement of calcium is necessary for gestation in order to avoid not only occurrence of osteoporosis and hypertension, but also prevention of aphthous ulcer and healing of focus.

Relieving pain in minor aphthous stomatitis by a single session of non-thermal carbon dioxide laser irradiation.

This randomized controlled clinical trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy of single-session, non-thermal, carbon dioxide (CO(2)) laser irradiation in relieving the pain of minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis (miRAS) as a prototype of painful oral ulcers. Fifteen patients, each with two discrete aphthous ulcers, were included. One of the ulcers was randomly allocated to be treated with CO(2) laser (1 W of power in de-focused continuous mode) and the other one served as a placebo. Before laser irradiation, a layer of transparent, non-anesthetic gel was placed on both the laser lesions and the placebo lesions. The patients were requested to grade their pain on a visual analog scale up to 96 h post-operatively. The reduction in pain scores was significantly greater in the laser group than in the placebo group. The procedure itself was not painful, so anesthesia was not required. Powermetry revealed the CO(2) laser power to be 2-5 mW after passing through the gel, which caused no significant temperature rise or any visual effect of damage to the oral mucosa. Our results showed that a low-intensity, non-thermal, single-session of CO(2) laser irradiation reduced pain in miRAS immediately and dramatically, with no visible side effects.

Efficacy of Rhizophora mangle aqueous bark extract (RMABE) in the treatment of aphthous ulcers: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Rhizophora mangle aqueous bark extract (RMABE) (CIKRON-H), has been used as antiseptic and skin wound healing promoter. The present study was a randomised, single-blinded, placebo control trial conducted to asses the efficacy of RMABE in treating oral aphthous ulcers. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients (n = 32) with aphthous ulcers were randomised to received placebo solution or RMABE topically, once a day, from Monday to Friday, until they healed. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by physician clinical observations (time to heal, change in condition), the quality of the patient's life and the tolerability through recording adverse effects. RESULTS: No demographic differences were noted between the two groups at base-line. Seven days after treatment, 12 of the 17 patients in the RMABE group (71%) were completely healed of their aphthous ulcers, with repaired mucosa and no symptoms of ulcers, compared with one in 15 patients in the placebo group (7%) (p < 0.0001). The time taken for the signs and symptoms of ulcers to diminish was also higher in the placebo than in RMABE-treatment group (erythema: placebo 10.54 +/- 1.24, RMABE 4.94 +/- 0.72 days, p = 0.0003; ardour: placebo 7.00 +/- 0.76, RMABE 2.93 +/- 0.49 days, p = 0.0001; and pain: placebo 7.43 +/- 1.21, RMABE 2.92 +/- 0.23 days, p = 0.0011). No subject showed any sign of adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: These observations demonstrate that the R. mangle aqueous bark extract reduced the time to repair mucosal tissue, erythema, ardour and pain persistence. There was no evidence any adverse effects. This is the first time that the R. mangle extract has been reported to have mouth mucosa healing properties.

Efficacy of bioadhesive patches in the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

This study evaluated the efficacy of bioadhesive hydrogel patches, made of a pharmaceutical grade cellulose derivative, in the control of pain and as an aid to healing of aphthous ulceration. Patients kept a twice daily ulcer diary to record their pain level on a visual analogue scale. The sensitivity of the test ulcer was assessed by a challenge with pure orange juice as a stimulant before and after application of the patch by the patient. A significant reduction in stimulated pain was recorded following application of the patches to the ulcers (P < 0.01). The patches were found to adhere longer to large ulcers in the early stages of ulceration, when they achieved their maximum protective and pain-attenuating effects. The ulcer size was recorded daily by the patient and patients claimed a reduction in healing time following patch therapy.

A double-blind trial of systemic zinc sulfate in recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

A double-blind crossover study of the effects of systemic zinc sulfate was carried out on twenty-five patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis. No therapeutic effect was seen with the use of systemic zinc over a 3-month period. This study fails to confirm the beneficial effects of zinc seen in previously reported studies. Four patients had to discontinue the zinc therapy because of side effects. The empirical use of systemic zinc sulfate supplementation in the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis is not recommended.