Recent updates on canker sore treatment
Quercetin
Researchers in Egypt examined the effects of topical quercetin on patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers. Quercetin is a plant product that gives many plants their color. It is also a flavonoid, which is a powerful antioxidant molecule. Egyptian researchers performed a randomized double-blind clinical trial showing that topical quercetin could speed up the healing process in people with canker sores.1
Thai herbal remedies
Thai researchers looked at the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of four traditional Thai herbal remedies. These canker sore remedies included Quercus infectoria, Kaempferia galanga, Coptis chinensis and Glycyrrhiza uralensis.2 All remedies except Kaempferia galanga showed strong antioxidant properties.
Camel thorn distillate
Camel thorn distillate was compared to other canker sore remedies and performed just as well. Iranian researchers suggested that the compounds alhagitin and alhagidin found in camel thorn distillate might explain this effect.3
Low-level laser treatment
Low-level laser treatment was shown to reduce the time that canker sores were in the mouth when compared to corticosteroids. Also, patients reported less pain in the laser treated group. Canker sores lasted 6 days in the corticosteroid treated group and 4 days, on average, in the low-level laser treated group.4 Note that low-level laser treatment is different than the ablative laser treatment detailed in Medical treatment of canker sores.
Vitamin B12 and folate
Apparently people that get recurrent aphthous ulcers also eat less Vitamin B12 and folate than the rest of the population according to a group of American researchers. They examined 100 people with recurrent aphthous ulcers and found that their vitamin intake was lower than the Recommended Daily Allowance.5 This dietary deficiency provides both an explanation for the disease and a treatment for canker sores by starting vitamin supplementation.
Canker Sore Treatment For Mouth Sores: canker sore on tongue
Colchicine versus prednisone
While colchicine and prednisone are both medical treatments for canker sores some debate exists about which treatment is better for chronic, long-term aphthous ulcer care. In a head to head comparison, colchicine and prednisone performed equally well as canker sore remedies. However, colchicine caused side effects in over half of patients, while prednisone caused them in only about 10% of people tested.6 What was not mentioned in the study was the long term consequences of prednisone use, which may cause a separate and underappreciated set of side effects.
References
(1) Hamdy AA, Ibrahem MA. Management of aphthous ulceration with topical quercetin: a randomized clinical trial. J Contemp Dent Pract 2010;11:E009-E016.
(2) Mekseepralard C, Kamkaen N, Wilkinson JM. Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of traditional Thai herbal remedies for aphthous ulcers. Phytother Res 2010;24:1514-1519.
(3) Pourahmad M, Rahiminejad M, Fadaei S, Kashafi H. Effects of camel thorn distillate on recurrent oral aphthous lesions. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges 2010;8:348-352.
(4) De Souza TO, Martins MA, Bussadori SK et al. Clinical evaluation of low-level laser treatment for recurring aphthous stomatitis. Photomed Laser Surg 2010;28 Suppl 2:S85-S88.
(5) Kozlak ST, Walsh SJ, Lalla RV. Reduced dietary intake of vitamin B12 and folate in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis. J Oral Pathol Med 2010;39:420-423.
