Serum And Salivary Parameters In Patients With Recurrent Aphthous Ulcerations

Purpose: Recurrent aphthous ulceration (RAU) is a T-cell mediated oral disease, sometimes concomitant to other systemic diseases such as immunodeficiencies, haematological disturbances, and sensitivity to certain types of food, gastrointestinal diseases and stress. However, there are still conflicting data regarding haematological deficiencies and stress in RAU patients. Material and Methods: From 30 patients with RAU (age range 36.27 +/- 15.308 years) and from 30 controls (age range 29.83 +/- 9.082 years), a 5 ml of venous blood was taken in order to determine levels of serum iron, vitamin B12 and folate. Furthermore, all participants filled out the stress scale and 2 ml of their saliva was taken to determine levels of salivary alpha amylase by enzyme immune test. Results: The results of this study show that there are no significant differences between patients with RAU and controls regarding levels of iron, vitamin B12 and folate. There were no significant differences in salivary amylase levels and stress scores between patients with RAU during acute phase and remission period and as well as compared to the controls. Conclusion: We might conclude that patients with RAU are not to be sent routinely to the screening of serum iron, vitamin B 12 and folate. It should be pointed out that salivary amylase levels do not indicate that patients with RAU are more stressed out than controls.