The effect of Ethyle-2-cyanoacrylate on pain reduction of aphthous ulcers
Objectives: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is one of the most common ulcers of the oral cavity. The exact cause is not known but it is considered as an autoimmune response. It usually heals in 7-10 days. Corticosteroids, vitamin supplements (B12, folic acid), chemical and herbal mouth rinses and lidocaine ointments have been used for treatment. However, pain and burning sensation are the main complain of the patients throughout the healing period. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a tissue adhesive Ethyle-2-cyanoacrylate (Epiglue, Meyer-Haak medicine, Germany) on pain reduction of aphthous ulcers.
Methods: In this case and control double blind study, 30 patients with 2 minor aphthous ulcers were participated. One ulcer on each patient was covered by 1 ml of Ethyle-2-cyanoacrylate (test) and the other ulcer by methyl cellulose (placebo). The pain and burning sensation were then evaluated in periods of 1, 3,8,12 and 24 hours after adhesive application on ulcers. Man Whitny and kruskal walis were used for statistical analysis of parameters between test and control groups.
Results: The pain and burning sensation was lower in test compare to control group in all different time intervals. However, the difference after 1, 3 and 8 hours of agent application on the ulcer surface were statistically significant. But after 24 hours, the pain sensation was similar for both groups.
Conclusions: The use of a tissue adhesive like Ethyle-2-cyanoacrylate could be a new therapeutic approach for pain reduction in aphthous ulcers. It is quite effective up to 8 hours of application. But the protective effect vanishes with time probably due detachment of agent from ulcer surface.