Improving the treatment of chronic recurrent aphthous stomatitis

Abstract

Introduction. A correct diagnostics of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS, sometimes also called recurrent oral ulcers or ulcers) is a central element of dentistry issues. Aphthous ulcers have been carefully defined so that they can be differentiated from many other types of recurrent oral ulcers that are not associated with systemic abnormalities (M.Kh. Ibragimova, 2019). Objectively, the prevalence rate is incredibly high, but if RAS is defined as more than two spontaneously occurring episodes per year, then the average prevalence in the population is about 10%, which seems reasonable. Many studies struggle with definitions and ask if subjects ever had mouth ulcers. Reported estimates range from 1.5 to 28% in different parts of the world according to the WHO, suggesting that there may be genetic differences that account for these geographic differences. Current evidence suggests that RAS may be the result of an abnormal cascade of cytokines in the oral mucosa, which leads to a cell-mediated immune response directed to the focal area of the oral mucosa (Alimova D.M., 2021).