Recurrent aphthous stomatitis: current concepts of etiology, pathogenesis and management.

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common oral disorder, however, despite detailed clinical, immunologic, hematologic and microbiologic investigation, the etiology of RAS remains unknown. At present, topical steroids and antimicrobial mouth rinses are the mainstays of treatment, but there is still no means of preventing recurrence of the oral ulceration.