[ effect of purslane in the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis]

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis [RAS] is a common disease with unknown etiology. There is no curative treatment. Purslane is considered as a rich source of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of Purslane in the treatment of RAS. A total of 50 patients were selected for this randomized triple-blind placebocontrolled clinical trial from School of Dentistry of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2011. All subjects were randomly divided into two groups. Groups A and B received placebo and Purslane, respectively, for three months. Pain intensity based on the visual analogue scale [VAS], the mean intervals of lesions occurrence, number of lesions and the mean duration of complete healing at baseline and at months 1, 2 and 3 were recorded. While no patient complained from increased severity of pain, decreased severity of pain for 4, 3, 2, and 1 grades were recorded in%16,%20, 20%, and 40%, respectively, which were much higher than 4%, 8%, 8%, and 28%, respectively, in the control group. A significant decrease in pain intensity in VAS scores were seen after treatment in group B [P<0.001]. The mean duration of complete healing showed significant differences [P<0.001] between groups A [-1.52 +/- 4.07 days] and group B [-6.56 +/- 4.50 days]. The mean intervals between lesions also showed significant differences [P<0.001] between group A [17.88 days] and group B [33.12 days]. No significant differences were found between group A and group B regarding to number of lesions. No serious side-effects occurred in either group. According to our study, Purslane is clinically effective in treatment of RAS and considering the lack of side-effects during the study period, this medicine may be a favorable alternative treatment for recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

Oral and dental health status in patients with primary antibody deficiencies

Primary antibody deficiencies [PAD] are a group of immune system disorders, associated with decreased levels of secretory and protective immunoglobulins. Because of the important role of immunoglobulins in the protection of oral cavity, patients with PADs are more susceptible to dental caries or oral manifestations. This study was performed to investigate the oral and dental manifestations of PADs patients. In this study, 33 patients with PADs [21 common variable immunodeficiency, 8 X-linked agammaglobulinemia and 4 hyper IgM syndrome] and 66 controls were examined; the number of decayed, missed and filled teeth [DMFT] were investigated. Aphthous was the most frequent manifestation in PADs patients [38.7%], which was significantly 16.7% higher than the controls [p=0.03]. The patients with PADs showed significantly higher presentation of other oral and dental manifestations, including herpes sores, candidiasis tonsillitis, gingivitis, calculus, enamel hypoplasia and other ulcerations. The mean DMFT scores were 6.15 +/- 3.6 and 1.93 +/- 0.4 in PADs patients and controls, respectively [p<0.001]. Although the patients with common variable immunodeficiency had higher means of DMFT in comparison with other groups of PADs, this difference was not statistically significant. This study showed significantly higher frequency of oral and dental manifestations in the patients with PADs compared to controls. Therefore, regular examination of oral cavity could be suggested in this group of immunodeficient patients