Association between Helicobacter pylori and recurrent aphthous stomatitis in children and adolescents.
BACKGROUND
The recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common disease with unknown etiology. Helicobacter pylori has been shown to be the causative factor in peptic ulcers. Considering the similarities of histologic features between gastric and oral ulceration, we studied the possible involvement of H. pylori in the development of RAS.


METHODS
A total of 105 children and adolescents were investigated--53 patients with RAS (case group) and 52 patients without lesions (control group). Specimens obtained by swabbing RAS lesions, intact oral mucosa, and dental plaque were submitted to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay.


RESULTS
Helicobacter pylori was present in six patients of the case group (11.3%) and in three of the control group (5.8%). When the site of infection was studied, 9.4% of the RAS lesions were PCR positives. In the case group and control group, 5.7 and 1.9% of the specimens from dental plaque, respectively, and 5.7 and 3.8% of the specimens from the intact oral mucosa, respectively, were PCR positives.


CONCLUSIONS
There was no association between RAS lesions and infection of the oral cavity by H. pylori in children and adolescents (P = 0.254).
Fritscher
A M G
AM
Faculdade de Odontologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. afritscher@pucrs.br
Cherubini
K
K
Chies
J
J
Dias
A C O
AC
D000293:Adolescent; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013281:Stomatitis, Aphthous / Q000382:microbiology*
D004269:DNA, Bacterial