IADR Abstract Archives

Xerostomia and Oral Habits in Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis

Background: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is one of the most common oral mucosal disorders, affecting about 40% of the population. Despite previous investigations, the etiology of this condition remains unknown. Xerostomia is defined as a subjective complaint of dry mouth that may result from decreased salivation. Dry mouth and oral habits may cause increased attrition of the mucosal surfaces, which might trigger an aphthous ulcer. It is not yet clear whether there is an association between aphthous stomatitis and xerostomia or oral habits.

Objective: To determine whether idiopathic RAS is associated with xerostomia and oral habits.

Methods: Data were collected through exams and questionnaires at the University of Florida during an unmatched case-control study (June 2006-September 2007). Participants (never had RAS, active/had RAS <3 months ago or inactive/had RAS >6 months ago) aged 18-46, un-medicated, and that had not smoked in the past 3 months reported their oral dryness and habits. Participants reported how often their mouth felt dry. Those who responded “never” or “almost never” were classified as normal. Those who responded “sometimes”, “fairly often”, or “very often” were classified as having dry mouths. Participants were also asked to describe any oral habits that they may have. A Fisher's Exact test was performed using SAS 9.2, and two-sided alpha=0.05.

Results: Data from 95 participants (45 controls, 16 active and 34 inactive cases) were analyzed. A similar percentage of controls (40.0%), active (50.0%), and inactive (47.1%) cases had dry mouth (p=0.76). A similar percentage of controls (37.8%), active (37.5%), and inactive (41.2%) cases had oral habits (p=0.96).

Conclusions: Our study found no significant association between aphthous stomatitis and xerostomia or oral habits. Other local or systemic factors are likely at play.

This research was supported by NIH grants R03DE016356, 5U24DE016509, and M01RR00082.


AADR/CADR Annual Meeting
2010 AADR/CADR Annual Meeting (Washington, D.C.)
Washington, D.C.
2010
1381
Behavioral, Epidemiologic and Health Services Research
  • Dau, Don  ( College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA )
  • Theriaque, Douglas  ( Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA )
  • Shuster, Jonathan  ( College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA )
  • Wang, Cindy  ( Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA )
  • Baccaglini, Lorena  ( College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA )
    • Poster Session
    Applied Epidemiology of Oral and Craniofacial Conditions II
    03/06/2010