[Effect of diagnostic and treatment factors on growth development of children with congenital hypothyroidism: a prospective longitudinal study]

Introduction: no study has yet been conducted evaluate the factors influencing the growth of patients with congenital hypothyroidism [CH], in Iran. The high prevalence of this disease in Iran, particularly in Isfahan, made it necessary to investigate biomedical diagnostic and early treatment factors potentially affecting growth status among patients with CH

Materials and Methods: in this prospective cohort study, 760 CH neonates [born 2002-2010], diagnosed and followed up [minimum 1, maximum 5 years] during the CH screening program in Isfahan were enrolled. Height, weight and head circumferences of the patients, during follow up and in subsequent periods, were measured. Diagnostic and therapeutic factors included serum T4 and TSH concentration at diagnosis and after treatment initiation, age at onset of therapy, initial dosage of levothyroxine and age at first normalization of T4 and TSH. Quantile regression for longitudinal data was used for investigating the effects of main factors determining growth development. R free software was used for analyzing data

Results: longitudinal growth in height and weight was significantly correlated with age at onset of therapy and initial dosage of treatment [p<0.01], while head circumference was associated only with initial dosage [P<0.05]. Increase in weight and head circumference were affected by serum TSH concentration at diagnosis [p<0.05], and age of T4 normalization also had significant impact, on some of the proposed quantiles, i.e. weight [p<0.05], height [p<0.01] and head circumference [p<0.001]

Conclusion: among the factors studied, initial dosage of treatment and age at onset of therapy seem to be more important factors for growth development, suggesting that more optimal outcomes are possible through earlier treatment and appropriate levothyroxine dosage

[Validity and reliability of the Persian version of JSPE-HP questionnaire [Jefferson scale of physician empathy-health professionals version]]

Empathy plays an important role in patient's relationship with his/her dentist or doctor. One of the most used tools for evaluation of empathy is the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Health Professionals Version [JSPE-HP]. The aim of this study was to validate the JSPE-HP for use among Iranian population. The English original version of the JSPE-HP questionnaire was translated into Persian language by a forward-backward translation method. Reliability was tested on 30 Dental and Medical students. Then validity and internal consistency were tested on 554 students. The reliability coefficient [Cronbach's alpha] of the JSPE-HP was excellent [alpha: 0.83]. The coefficient of test re-test reliability measured by ICC [Intra class correlation coefficient] was 0.82 [CI 95%: 0.80-0.87]. Freshman students had higher scores than other students and this difference was significant [P=0.03]. There was no significant difference on empathy scores between Dental and Medical students. The overall findings of this study indicate that the Persian version of the JSPE is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating physician-patient empathy in Iranian Population

[Assessment of the dentists' knowledge and practice on post-exposure prophylaxis of HIV]

Statement of Problem: Disease causing factors transferred by the blood are the main job related problems to which the health workers are confronted in medical centers. This is an urgent medical problem which requires appropriate measures to be taken to decrease the transmission as far as possible

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the level of dentists' knowledge and practice in Kerman city about the post-exposure prophylaxis of HIV

Methods and Material: This was an analytical, cross-sectional study conducted through questionnaires. The case study consisted of all the dentists in Kerman [140], recruited through convenient sampling method. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney u, X2, Kruskal Wallis and Spearman tests in SPSS, version 13.5

Results: In the present study, 103 dentists were enrolled. Their information and knowledge mean score was 2.32+/-1.2 out of 6. Also, the lowest and highest scores of the participants were 1 and 5, respectively [with the mean value equal to 3]. It was found that the dentists' level of knowledge has no significant relationship with age, sex, education, work history and experience of needle stick injuries. Ninety three dentists [90.2%] had educated their staff about the prevention of HIV and 58% of the dentists agreed to treat the patients with positive HIV

Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the dentists' level of knowledge about post-exposure prophylaxis and HIV is low. Therefore, it seems that it is necessary for dentists to improve their knowledge and performance regarding this issue

[ effect of dimension and geometrical shape of prefabricated post and the material of crown on the stress levels and distributions in the root of restored molar tooth using finite element method]

Statement of Problem: Researchers are often looking for appropriate treatments while considering esthetic aspects and health. In endodontically treated teeth afflicted with severe damage or complete loss of the coronal structure, a post is usually inserted in the root canal to provide intra-canal retention of the restorations. Therefore, it seems that it is necessary to investigate the stress distribution in the restored teeth with different post algorithms

Purpose: In this study, the effects of post geometry and its dimensions on the stress distributions and levels in the root of molar teeth repaired by post-core crown [Ceramic, Alumina and Nickel-chrome] were studied using finite element method

Materials and Method: An extracted intact mandibular second molar tooth was embedded in a cylindrical acrylic resin mould and then were sliced. The sections generated in this way were photographed and the images were transferred into the Solidworks software. After tooth modeling, Posts and crowns were designed. Then, the samples were exposed to a uniform distributed load of 240 N with the load angle of 45 degree which was applied over the occlusal area. In order to simulate the surrounding area of the tooth and also the periodontal ligament space, the bone was also modeled

Results: Numerical results revealed that in the prefabricated post restoration, there was a stress concentration in the cervical region. The maximum value of normal stress [32.3 MPa] was seen in the parallel post with 1.4 diameter [D1.4], and the minimum value [26.7 MPa] was observed in the double tapered post [N0.1]. It was observed that the increase in the modulus of elasticity from 100 to 300 causes an increase in normal stress from 69.5 to 38.5 MPa and in tensile stress from 69.5 to 38.5 MPa

Conclusion: Numerical analysis showed that the maximum stress concentration in post core crown restoration increased when the posts with 1.4 mm diameter or post with double taper were used. The stress values decreased with the decrease in the post modulus of elasticity. The maximum stress in the residual dentin decreased by an increase in the post diameter. Besides, the maximum stress on the residual dentine changed irregularly by the change in the tapered post diameter. Also, it was found that crowns material did not have any considerable effect on the stress concentration

[Unicystic ameloblastoma: differential diagnosis and treatment planning]

Unicystic ameloblastoma is a tumor of odontogenic origin. It is not a rare neoplasm and most often the lesion is asympthomatic. However, large lesions may cause painless swelling of the jaws. Here we report a case of unicystic ameloblastoma with pain, swelling of the posterior jaws along with teeth mobility. Samples of incisional biopsy of the lesion and also interaoperative frozen section were sent for pathology and for both samples pathology report was solid ameloblastoma. Due to observing a thick fibrotic wall during the operation, the surgeon decided to perform enucleation. Knowing histopathologic variations of odontogenic tumors and also knowledge about differential diagnosis and clinical and radiographic features can lead to appropriate diagnosis and treatment planning

Epidemiological aspects of head and neck cancers in a group of Iranian population

Head and neck cancers occur in a wide variety of tissue types and sites, resulting in a complex range of malignancies cared y physicians in multiple specialties. Epidemiologic aspects of head and neck cancer in Iran have not been studied adequately. The aim of this study was to represent epidemiological aspets of head and neck cancers in Kerman province in Iran. In this retrospective epidemiological study, a total of 2211 cases of heads and neck cancers were diagnosed in period 11-year. Data on all malignant head and neck cancers were included in this study. Information was obtained from the records of the 18 departments of histopathology in Kerman province. The five most common sites were skin of the head and neck [46.81%], lymph nodes of head and neck [13.98%], larynx [13.48%], oral cavity and pharynx [12.2%], and thyroid [6.20%]. Paranasal sinuses were the least common. The incidence rate of head and neck cancers was 10.12/100000 cases. Geographical or regional variations in the prevalence of head and neck cancer indicate that the socio-cultural lifestyles of a population play an important role in head and neck carcinogenesis. This study showed that the incidence rate of head and neck cancers was lower than that in many other countries. However, comparison between our findings with some other studies shows a relation consistency

[Predicting risk factors of cardiovascular disease according to anthropometric measures in children and adolescents]

Regarding the higher risk of abdominal obesity versus generalized obesity, nowadays the combined measurement of body mass index [BMI] and waist circumference [WC] is used for prediction of obesity health hazards among adults however; such information is limited among children and adolescents. In this study, the individualized and combined influence of BMI and WC on risk factors of cardiovascular disease [CVD] in overweight children and adolescents was assessed. This study included 3432 overweight/obese children and adolescents referred to the Pediatric Preventive Cardiology Department [Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences] in whom six CVD risk factors were measured and registered. At the first step of analysis, BMI and WC were considered as continuous variables in predicting CVD risk factors. At the second step, the participants were initially categorized into overweight and obese, and later, the risk factors in each group were compared among those with WC lower and or higher than 75th percentile. When the BMI and WC in a regression model for predicting CVD risk factors were used, the increase in variance was found to have insignificant difference compared to those obtained for BMI and WC, individually. When the aforementioned categories were applied, WC was shown to be more informative about risk factors than that of BMI alone. The findings of present study emphasize on the role of abdominal obesity in increasing the risk of chronic diseases, notably CVD in children and adolescents hence, similar to adults, measurement of WC as well as BMI should be routinely considered among children and adolescents

Potential mutations of thyroid peroxidase gene in children with congenital hypothyroidism in Isfahan province

Congenital hypothyroidism [CH], the most common congenital endocrine disorder, in childhood and one of the causes of mental retardation, may be caused by defects in the enzymatic cascade of thyroid hormone synthesis, called thyroid dyshormonogenesis, of which thyroid peroxidase gene [TPO] mutations are one of the most common causes. The aim of this study was to assess frequency of TPO gene defects in patients with thyroid dyshormonogenesis in Isfahan province. This was a cross sectional study conducted on 40 patients with permanent congenital hypothyroidism, due to thyroid dyshormonogenesis. Genomic DMA was extracted from the peripheral blood of these patients, using the salting out method. The 17 exonic region of the TPO gene was amplified and mutation screening was performed by single-strand conformational analysis [SSCP] and sequencing. Results demonstrated one missense mutation in the [G2669A] location of exon 15 in one patient and seven different single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] in exons 1, 7, 8, 11 and 15 of the TPO gene. Frequency of TPO gene mutation in this study was lower in comparison to other similar studies. It remains possible that in these patients, the disorder was caused by a TPO gene defect in regulatory or intronic regions. In addition, methods besides SSCP analysis and detection of other gene defects in thyroid dyshormonogenesis need to be further investigated in this field

[Comparison of dietary and physical activity patterns among obese children and adolescents with or without metabolic syndrome]

Considering the appearance of chronic diseases in adulthood and the emergence of their underlying causes such as metabolic syndrome since early years of life, recognition of effective factors and taking interventional measures will lead to a more short term and long term beneficial effects. The aim of this study was to compare the dietary and physical activity patterns among obese children and adolescents with or without metabolic syndrome. This case-control study was conducted in 2007 in Isfahan. 825 overweight or obese children and adolescents [body mass index equal to or greater than 85th percentile] aged between 6-17 years were assigned into two groups: with or without metabolic syndrome and the dietary and physical activity patterns of the groups were compared with each other. Data were introduced into SPSS software and analyzed by means of Chi-Square, regression and t-tests. Comparison of the mean frequency of food consumption and physical activities in both groups indicated that increased consumption of meat, egg, dairy products, nuts, vegetables and fruits had a significant relationship with decreased incidence of metabolic syndrome. The physical activity level of those with metabolic syndrome was lower than that of those without this syndrome. However this difference was not significant. Considering the increasing incidence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents, and its relation with the dietary habits and physical activity established from early life, it is necessary to pay more attention to the lifestyle of children and adolescents in order to prevent emergence of chronic diseases in the future

[ comparative study of clinical diagnosis and histological reports of oral and jaw lesions]

Appropriate diagnosis in oral medicine requires expertise, experience and the use of several other related fields. One of the important fields in this domain is oral pathology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the consistency of clinical diagnosis and pathological reports of oral lesions in patients referring to oral pathological department of Kerman dentistry school during 1995- 2004. The present research is a descriptive- analytic and retrospective study in which all of the samples referred to the pathology department in Kerman dental school during 1995 to 2004 were considered. The corresponding data were analyzed by Chi-Squire and T tests using SPSS 13.5 program for statistical analysis. The histopathologic finding and clinical diagnosis were in the same line in 432 cases [64.87%] The highest percentage of proper diagnosis was found in the eight decade with the location in gingival lesions .The lowest percentage of agreement was found in the third decade and in the lesions of mouth floor. Based on the findings of the present research, it seems that the clinical diagnosis is not consistent with pathological finding in about one third of cases. Therefore, the students should be provided with sufficient information about the importance of careful recording of the patient's characteristics and documentation of oral lesions in the charts

[ knowledge and practice of dentists about medical emergency in private dental offices]

In order to get ready for medical emergencies, sufficient scientific knowledge, suitable facilities and emergency drugs are necessary. This study aimed to investigate the emergency facilities, drugs and the knowledge of dentists about emergency cases in dental offices of Kerman in 1386. This is cross-sectional and descriptive study using questioners. Some active dental offices were selected and the questioners were given to them. The completed forms were gathered. The data were extracted and analyzed by t-test, fisher, chi[2], using SPSS 13.5 statistical program. In the present study, 101 dentist were enrolled. 25 dentists, [24.7%] had emergency cases in their office, and the most prevalent case was vasodepressor syncope. The mean knowledge of the dentist was 5.89 +/- 1.39. 76.2% of the dentists expressed that they ask the patients about their medical emergency history. This study shows that the knowledge and information of dentists enhance with an increase in working hours, and decrease with an increase usage and wok experience. Also, it is found that the most prevalent drugs used in dental office as emergency drugs were oxygen and nitroglycerine tablets. This study indicates that some emergency events take place in dental offices in Kerman as in many other countries but, unfortunately, there is not sufficient equipment and facilities to deal with these emergency cases. The present condition can be improved with teaching in universities, holding some educational workshops and preparation of pamphlets

[Investigation of knowledge and attitudes of patients referring to Kerman dental school about AIDS, [spring 2006]]

The yearly incidences of AIDS continue to grow in Iran. The only way to preclude the outbreak of AIDS virus is promoting the society's awareness about the disease. However, to implement an effective health educational program, the first step is to have an appropriate correct understanding of the society's knowledge about this disease. The aim of this study was investigation of the knowledge and attitudes of patients in clinics of Kerman dental school about AIDS in 2006. In this study, 328 patients [aged 15 years or over] referred to oral medicine department were selected. To gather the data, a questionnaire including demographic data and questions on knowledge and attitude toward AIDS was prepared. SPSS [13.5] program, Chi-Square, t-test and variance analyze were used for data analysis. From 328 patients, 36.00% were male and 64.00% were female [mean ages of cases was 31.74 +/- 12.212 years]. The mean knowledge score was 69.31%. Most of the cases [67.7%] were informed of HIV/AIDS by TV programs. The level of knowledge of women about AIDS was significantly higher than men [p =0.031]. In addition, there was a significant relationship between the level of knowledge and education [p=0.0001].86.9% were concerned about AIDS transmission in the dental offices. 48.5% of the cases asked for diagnostic trials for AIDS before any dental treatment for all of the patients, and 48.2% asked for isolation of patients who carry the HIV/AIDS virus. The results stress the importance of providing information about AIDS by media more frequently and with higher quality. Another important factor is having good infection control standards in dental practices

[Usefulness of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of the etiology of congenital hypothyroidism comparing with radioisotope scanning]

Congenital hypothyroidism [CH] is the most prevalent preventable cause of mental retardation. Since it is impossible to determine the etiology of CH by biochemical tests per se, imaging modalities of thyroid gland are used to evaluate the morphology and function of this gland and among them radionuclide scanning is currently the gold standard. Considering the limitations of time and accessibility of radioisotope scanning and benefits and faults of ultrasonography in determination of etiology of CH, the aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of sonography as compared to the gold standard imaging method of scintigraphy, in the diagnosis of etiology of primary congenital hypothyroidism in the screening program of Isfahan. This study was conducted from May 2002-February 2007. In order to compare ultrasonography to thyroid scintigraphy for etiologic diagnosis of CH, 102 CH newborns examined by both thyroid scintigraphy and ultrasonography were included in this study. The ultrasonographic findings were compared with the standard-of-reference scintigraphic findings and the sensitivity, specificity of the ultrasonography were determined. According to results of the ultrasonography 63, 27, 3 and 9 infants had normal thyroid glands, agenesia, ectopia and hypoplasia respectively and based on scintigraphic results 57, 36 and 9 of them had normal thyroid gland, agenesia and ectopia respectively. Ultrasound detected sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, LR+ and LR- were 86%, 86%, 90%, 90%, 6.1 and 0.16 respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography compared with thyroid scintigraphy in diagnosis of thyroid gland ectopia was 33% and 100% respectively. Although calculated sensitivity and specificity of this method was not equal to those of thyroid radioisotope scanning but had an acceptable range, thyroid ultrasonography is a relatively appropriate imaging tool for diagnosing thyroid dysgenesia. Hence ultrasonography can be used as the first imaging tool for diagnosing CH, especially when the family prefers not to have the infant scanned

[Comparison of urine and milk iodine concentration among congenitally hypothyroid neonates and their mothers and a control group]

Although Iran is known as an iodine sufficient area, congenital hypothyroidism [CH] is prevalent. Because iodine excess can contribute to hypothyroidism we evaluated the role of iodine excess and ID in the etiology of CH. In a cross sectional study UICs [Urine Iodine Concentration] in newborns with CH as well as UIC and MIC [Milk Iodine Concentration] of their mothers were compared with a control group. After acid digestion of urine samples milk samples, iodine concentrations were determined by the Sandell-Kolthoff method. Chi-square and Wilcoxon, and Pearson correlation tests were used for statistical analysis. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The median of MIC of CH [n=68] and healthy subjects [n=179] was different [210 vs. 170 micro g/L respectively, P<0.05]. However the median of UIC in neonates and those of mother's of CH and healthy subjects were not different statistically [305 vs. 300 micro g/L and 150 vs. 130 micro g/L respectively, P>0.05]; 71.2% and 46.7% of mothers of hypothyroid and healthy subjects had MICs above 180 micro g/I [iodine excess] respectively [p=0.002]. Based on the higher levels of MIC in mothers of CH neonates, iodine excess could be a possible risk factor for CH. Since however comparison of UIC between the control and neonate groups showed no differences, further investigations are needed to facilitate deeper insight into and clarification of the etiology of CH

[Cytotoxic effects of cyclooxygenase enzyme inhibitor drugs [COX1, COX2] on KB cell line: an in-vitro study]

Cyclooxygenase enzyme inhibitors have been recently investigated regarding their inhibitory effect on cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the cytotoxic effects of cyclooxygenase enzyme inhibitor drugs on KB cell line [squamous cell carcinoma] in vitro. This experimental study used the powder of Ibuprophen, Indomethacin, Acetaminophen, Naproxen, Celecoxib, Mefenamic acid, Diclofenac Na, Aspirin and Piroxicam. These drugs were dissolved in proper solvents according to specified company instructions [SIGMA Company]. The KB cell lines were proliferated through MTT Assay method. The concentration of drugs that causes 50% decrease in cell growth was computed [IC50]. Post-hoc test was used to compare the effect of various concentrations of drugs on vitality of cells and variance test was applied to compare the mean of IC50 between various drugs by using SPSS version 13.5 statistical software. This study showed that Celecoxibt, Mefenamic Acid and Diclofenac Na drugs have cytotoxicity effects on KB cell line with the IC50 values of 1.5, 4.5 and 15.4 micro g/ml, respectively. Also, it was found that the Naproxen, Indomethacin and Aspirin drugs with the IC50 mean of 50 micro g/ml can inhibit cell growth. Celecoxib and Diclofenac Na drugs have cytotoxicity effects. Therefore, at the experimental stage, these medicines have the potential to be used as oral anticancer drugs

[Frequency, clinical characteristics and factors associated with geographic tongue]

Statement of Problem: The oral cavity is an environment for the appearance of many types of complications. The geographic tongue is one of the most prevalence oral lesions. In many studies, the effects of hereditary and environmental factors and effective infections on this lesion have been studied

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical characteristic of geographic tongue. Also, the relation between this lesion with age, sex and some type of diseases were studied

Materials and Method: For this descriptive, cross- sectional study, 837 students were studied at Kerman medical university. Data were collected by completing the related forms and clinical examination, and were analyzed by statistical program SPSS 11.5, using T- test and chi[2] test

Results: It was found that, 104 out of 837 students had geopraphic tongue. Most lesions [74%] manifested a typical appearance consisting of a central atrophic area bounded by a raised white circinate line; the remaining lesions were characterized as solely atrophic patches. The most observed lesions were in the lateral borders of tongue in 85 cases [81.7%]. The relation between fissure tongue with geographic tongue was significant [p<0.05]

Conclusion: The prevalence and clinical appearance of studied geographic tongue in many students is in consistent with the results of other reasearches in different parts of the world. The present study shows a significant relation between fissured and geographic tongue

[ influence of music on pain sensation and fear in children during dental treatments]

Statement of Problem: Basically, performing dental health services on children is not easy and includes many problems which pain or fear is one of the most complicated ones

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of music on sensation of pain and fear in children during operative dental treatments in Kerman pediatrics clinic

Materials and method: This experimental and cross sectional study was conducted on 45 children [4-6 years]. In the first visit, filling of one tooth [maxillary first molar] was done with routine behavioral management and without music. In the second visit the children were divided into 3 groups and the same process was performed for the similar tooth in the other quadrant, while music [happy, light and no music] was playing in every visit. Children's heart rates were measured three times, as the indicator to evaluate their fear. Finally data were analyzes by statistical program SPSS 11.5 using, T- test and Chisquare test

Results: The average value of pain sensation in the first visit was more than the second time which was significant [p<0.001]. Heart rate decreased during dental procedure, but it was irrelevant to the type of music. During the first visit, heart rate displayed upward trend following the initial decrease [p<0. 01]

Conclusion: In addition to the use of routine behavioral control methods. Music as a helping method can cause less fear in 4-6 year- old children during dental treatment

[Thermal analysis of an actual model of a restored second premolar tooth with different restorative materials by finite element method]

Considering the high prevalence of dental caries, dentists and researchers are searching for restorative materials that are similar to tooth structure and are acceptable from biological point of view. The purpose of this study was to investigate the thermal behavior of a filled tooth with different restorative materials. Modeling was designed using solid ambient work software using the actual measurements of a typical human maxillary second premolar tooth dimensions. A class II [MOD] cavity was prepared and restored with amalgam and composite, with and without using Glass Ionomer as base material. Finally, the restored and non-restored tooth behavior was analyzed under thermal exposure when exposed to hot liquid. A three-dimensional finite-element analysis was conducted using ANSYS soft ware. Analysis of data revealed that placing base material under the amalgam fillings can decrease the maximum pulp temperature by about 43% compared to restorations without base. While, the temperature reduction was only about 17% in composite restorations. It was also found that the base material used under the amalgam fillings can protect the pulp from sudden temperature changes because of considerable time lapse between the application of thermal load and a change in pulp temperature. This time delay is greater in the composite restorations compared with amalgam by about 10% and the maximum time delay was found in sound tooth. The closest temperature profile to sound tooth is found in restorations with composite resin filled over a base material. This study demonstrated that the base material can protect the pulp from sudden temperature changes; likewise, it can decrease the maximum temperature in the pulp chamber/canal

[Needlestick injury in dentistry]

Health care workers including dentists, dental students and nurses may be at the risk of occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis B and C via needlestick injuries [NSIs]. The prevalence rate of NSI has been reported between 22 to 83% in different studies. The reports show an increase in NSI prevalence around the world during 1990 to 1999. Mean NSIs for a dentist with 3000 invasive operations per year is about 37%. The exact number of NSIs around the world is not known because many health care workers do not report this problem. In this paper written for health care workers, NSI and appropriate strategies applied in facing this problem have been discussed

[Oral ulcers in patients undergoing chemotherapy; clinical characteristics and their relation with herpes simplex virus type I]

Several studies have shown that herpes simplex infection is the most prevalence etiologic factor for oral ulcers in patients under chemotherapy, and in leukemia. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of oral ulcers and their relation with herpes simplex virus infection in patients undergoing chemotherapy. This descriptive and cross- sectional study was performed on patients receiving chemotherapy in Kerman hospital in 2006. Forty one patients [31 males and 10 females] with oral ulcers were studied. The most common type of cancer was acute lymphocytic leukemia diagnosed in 20 patients. Samples were prepared from ulcers by sterile swabs and were sent to laboratory for Polymerase Chain Reaction [PCR] procedure. The obtained data were analyzed by chi- square and t- test using SPSS 13.5 program. In this study, of all patients with oral ulcers, 75.6% were men and 24.4% were women. The result of PCR test was positive in 28 cases [68.3%]. Thirty patients [73.2%] had single oral ulcer and 11 cases [26.8%] were suffered from multiple ulcers. The most prevalence sites for the oral ulcers were tongue, buccal mucosa, and lip. It was concluded that the etiologic factor of oral ulcers in more than 50% of the patients under chemotherapy was herpes virus infection. Therefore, the antivirus treatment with prophylaxis should be performed for these patients. In addition, it must be considered that the clinical symptoms in diagnosis of this infection are not sufficient, and other tests such as PCR should be used