Aphthous ulcers as a multifactorial problem.

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a disorder characterized by recurrent ulcerations limited to the oral mucosa. Many specialists and researchers in the domain of oral medicine and other fields do not recognize a single disease in RAS, but several pathologic states with similar clinical characteristics. Even though the real cause is unknown, there are some predisposing factors such as anemia caused by the lack of iron, folic acid and vitamin B, neutropenia, local trauma, emotional stress, metabolic disorders, hormonal disorders and chronic diseases, which cause immunodeficiency. This disease can appear in three clinical forms: small aphthous ulcers, large aphthous ulcers and herpetiform aphthous ulcers. The treatment of this type of disorder involves local or systemic use of corticosteroids, immunostimulants and vitamin therapy. Due to the association of aphthous ulcers with various other diseases, cooperation among multiple fields of medicine and a multidisciplinary approach are necessary.