Canker Sores (cont.)
What should I do if I get canker sores frequently?
Contact your healthcare professional. Most cases of canker sores do not reflect an underlying illness. However, if you are having canker sores frequently, your healthcare professional
can take a patient history and order tests to assure you there isn't a serious underlying cause. Certain diseases are sometimes associated with recurrent canker sores. Examples include Crohn's disease, celiac disease, Behcet's disease, lupus, or even AIDS. It should be mentioned that these are complex diseases and canker sores may be only a part of the disease and not the only feature of the disease. Canker sores also may not be present at all in some persons with these conditions.
Most doctors also recommend that patients who have frequent bouts of canker sores undergo blood and allergy tests to determine if their sores are caused by a nutritional deficiency, an allergy, or some other preventable cause.
What research is being done in the area of canker sores?
Researchers are trying to identify the malfunctions in patients' immune systems that make them susceptible to repeated bouts of canker sores. By analyzing the blood of people with and without canker sores, scientists have found several differences in the immune function between the two groups. Whether these differences cause canker sores is not yet known and more research may need to be performed.
Researchers also are developing and testing new drugs designed to treat repeated canker sores in patients with possible immune causes of canker sores. Most of these drugs alter the patient's immune function. Although some of the drugs appear to be effective in treating canker sores in some patients, the data are still inconclusive. Until these drugs are proven to be absolutely safe and effective, they will not be available for general use.
One of the new medications which has been tested is called
amlexanox (Aphthasol topical paste). This is an anti-inflammatory and an anti-allergic drug. It has shown some promise in treatment of symptoms and healing of canker sores.
More invasive treatment options for canker sores are being investigated, but for now they remain somewhat limited, controversial, and impractical. These options include laser therapy, low intensity ultrasound, silver nitrate, and surgical removal. More studies are necessary before these options can be recommended for treatment of canker sores.
Canker Sores At A Glance
- Canker sores are small ulcer craters in the lining of the
mouth.
- The sores are usually found on the movable parts of the
mouth.
- The ulcers can be caused by a number of conditions.
- The treatment of canker sores depends on the cause.
Last Editorial Review: 7/2/2008
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