Prevalence of aphthous stomatitis or recurrent aphthous ulcers in dental students

Abstract

Aphthous stomatitis is a painful and recurrent inflammatory disorder affecting oral mucosa. It appears as oral manifestation of various diseases. It affects approximately 20% of the general population. Its etiopathogenesis is still unknown. Various risk factors and environmental factors are linked with its pathogenesis. Recently its association with stress has been emphasised in various studies. We tried to find out the most common site and cause of ulcerations in our subjects. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 314 dental students by distributing a questionnaire via Google forms platform. Aphthae were most commonly seen on the lower labial mucosa and significant correlation with the mental stress was seen. The study concluded with acorrelation between stress of examinations and work deadlines to be an important factor behind the episodes of aphthous ulcer in dental students.