Is a Vitamin Supplement Effective in Treatment of Recurrent Aphthous Ulcers?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this EBM review is to determine whether or not a daily vitamin supplement is effective treatment for recurrent aphthous ulcers. STUDY DESIGN: A review of 3 randomized control trials. All three trials are in English between 2009-2014. DATA SOURCES: 3 randomized double blind placebo-controlled parallel-arm single center trials were found using PubMed. OUTCOMES MEASURED: Each of the RCTs measured the efficacy of treatment for RAU in patients with aphthous ulcer outbreaks for at least a year or at least one to three outbreaks a month. This was performed by subjects of the study reporting on efficacy of each a daily multivitamin, Omega-3 supplement or Vitamin B12 supplement following the recommended daily intake scale. RESULTS: All three RTCs were used in this review and it was determined that a daily vitamin supplement did not lead to any significant life-threatening conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the three trials, only the multivitamin supplement proved to be ineffective in the treatment of recurrent aphthous ulcers in adults. Both the Omega-3 and Vitamin B12 proved to be both cost-effective and improved the quality of life for patients with RAU