title: Prevalence of recurrent aphthous ulceration in the Indian Population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with an oral ulcer may present initially to a general physician or a dental practitioner. Majority of the ulcers are benign and resolve spontaneously but small proportions are malignant. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of recurrent aphthous ulcerations in the Indian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  3244 patients attending the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology during the period from November, 2010 to December, 2012 with various complaints were examined. Of the patients examined 1669 were females and 1575 were males.
  
  
  RESULTS
  705 patients presented with recurrent aphthous ulceration (21.7%). Females (56.3%) were more commonly affected than males (43.7%). Patients in the third and fourth decade were most commonly affected. Stress was the most common factor associated with recurrent aphthous stomatitis (386 patients). 54.5% patients did not take any medications and 72.9% patients opined that the condition needed no dental consultation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present study indicate that recurrent aphthous ulceration is a common mucosal disorder in the Indian population. The early and proper diagnosis of the ulcers will help the dental practitioner in providing information to the patient regarding awareness and management of the condition. Key words:Recurrent aphthous ulcers, prevalence, Indian population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Jodhpur Dental College, Jodhpur National University, Jodhpur (Raj). India.
authors.forename: Santosh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Patil
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Desh Bhagat Dental College, Muktsar (Punjab). India.
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Jodhpur Dental College, Jodhpur National University, Jodhpur (Raj). India.
authors.forename: Sneha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maheshwari
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Desh Bhagat Dental College, Muktsar (Punjab). India.
authors.forename: Suneet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khandelwal
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Pananeeya Institute Of Dental Sciences, Hospital and Post Graduate Research Centre, Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh). India.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shruthi
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, NIMS University Dental College, Jaipur (Raj). India.
authors.forename: Bharati
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Doni