Non Pharmacological Management of Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis A narrative review

Abstract

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a very common oral mucosal lesion characterized by frequent, painful ulcerations with undiscerned etiopathology with several theories proposed like it being a bacterial infection, immunological abnormality, genetic predisposition, nutritional deficiency with trauma, stress and allergies being trigger factors. The treatment mainly focuses on symptomatic relief and keeping the intervals of remission protracted. Topical corticosteroids, analgesics, systemic antibiotics, and immunosuppressant drugs are the commonly used medications. Non pharmacological measures like laser, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and cryotherapy can also be used which have proven to cause analgesia, reduce ulcer dimensions and accelerate healing, PDT being the novel approach requiring single session application and giving symptomatic relief to patients within hours. Meanwhile, stress management and dietary modifications also help in keeping the ulcers at bay. Therefore, along with conventional management, these emerging therapeutic options can be explored and employed to provide synergistic treatment to the patients of RAS.