ANALYSIS OF PATTERN OF RECURRENT APHTHOUS ULCERS IN PATIENTS

Introduction: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) remains the most common ulcerative disease of the oral mucosa presenting as painful round shallow ulcers with well-defined erythematous margin and yellowish-gray pseudomembranous center. Aims and objectives: The main objective of the study is to analyze the pattern of recurrent aphthous ulcers in patients. Material and methods: This descriptive study was conducted in Nishter Dental College, Multan during March 2018 to November 2018. The data was collected from 100 patients who visited the OPD of the hospital. All the demographic data was collected through a questionnaire. Demographic data include sex, age, smoking habits, types of treatment, recurrence episodes, laboratory exams results from full blood count, fasting glucose, serum alkaline phosphatase, serum calcium and serum phosphate. Results: The data was collected from 100 patients of aphthous ulcers. The tongue was the most commonly affected anatomical region, with 27 patients (representing 27% of the sites and 39.7% of the patients) followed by the buccal mucosa with 22. Conclusion: It is concluded that RAS is the most common ulcerative disease affecting the oral mucosa. Its etiology is still unknown, occurs mostly in healthy individuals and has a more severe clinical presentation in immunocompromised individuals