Comparison of colchicine versus prednisolone in recurrent aphthous stomatitis: A double-blind randomized clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE
Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is one of the most common ulcers of the oral cavity with a reported prevalence of 5- 50%. There is still no definitive treatment for RAS; however, immunosuppressive and immunomodulant agents have been proposed. In this study, we compared the therapeutic effects of 5 mg/d prednisolone with 0.5 mg/d colchicine in the treatment of RAS.


METHODS
In a double-blind randomized clinical trial, 34 patients with RAS were randomly divided into two groups for treatment with prednisolone or colchicine. All patients took the medication for three months and were assessed at two weeks intervals. The groups were compared for size and number of lesions, severity of pain and burning sensation, duration of pain-free episodes and any side effects of the prescribed medicines. Both colchicine and prednisolone treatments significantly reduced RAS (p < 0.001). No significant differences in size and number of lesions, recurrence and severity of pain and duration of pain-free period were seen between the two treatment groups. Colchicine (52.9%) had significantly more side effects than prednisolone (11.8%).


CONCLUSIONS
Low dose prednisolone and colchicine were both effective in treating RAS. Given that the two therapies had similar efficacy, yet colchicine was associated with more side effects, , 5mg/d of prednisolone seems to be a better alternative in reducing the signs and symptoms of the disease.
Oral Medicine Department, School of Dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Atessa
A
Pakfetrat
Arash
A
Mansourian
Fatemeh
F
Momen-Heravi
Zahra
Z
Delavarian
Jalil
J
Momen-Beitollahi
Omid
O
Khalilzadeh
Samira
S
Basir-Shabestari
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003078:Colchicine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013281:Stomatitis, Aphthous / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D011239:Prednisolone; D003078:Colchicine