Tehran University Medical Journal

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Denture stomatotos os a common problem of the denture wears, and it's etiology is not clear from the literatures. Some studies show that the aetiology is candida albicans, while other reports point out the other agents including candida albicans. The present study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of oral candidiasis in patients using complete denture with different datas. 50 subjects all wearing complete denture participated in this study. The palatal mucosa was swabbed and swabs were cultured in Sabouraud's medium containing 0.005% chloramphenicol then cultures were tested with common mycological lab tests. In 80% of patients oral candidiasis have been diagnosed. In the investigation a direct relation between the oral candidiasis and removal of denture at night, denture cleanliness, presence of any suction and symptoms of denture stomatitis was shown. No relation between the oral candidiasis and sex, smoking habit, succeptible disease, angular cheilitis the recent condition of denture and the retention of denture were found. The findings of our investigation indicates that candida albicans is the causative agent of denture stomatitis while other factors such as denture cleanliness, removal of denture at night and presence of any suction may be considered as well.

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Background: Stomatitis, the inflammation of the mucous lining of any of the oral structures, is a frequent side-effect of anticancer drugs due to excess uric acid production. Strict oral hygiene and the application of an appropriate mouthwash has been reported to relieve pain and improve patient quality of life. Allopurinol is a drug used to treat conditions caused by excess uric acid. The aim of this study to evaluate the effectiveness of prophylactic use of allopurinol mouthwash for stomatitis in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 42 patients were randomly assigned to either a study group or a control group. In the study group (28 patients), patients used 5 mg/ml allopurinol mouthwash in hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose. The control group (14 patients) used water instead of the mouthwash. Treatment was administered for 16 days.
Results: Data collected during the daily follow-up of the patients' oral mucosa showed that allopurinol mouthwash decreased the severity, pain and duration of stomatitis.
Conclusion: Preventing stomatitis in patients receiving chemotherapy improves the health of the patient and compliance with treatment. Based on our findings, allopurinol mouthwash should be used for all chemotherapy patients for the prevention of stomatitis. This nursing intervention can also improve the patient's nutritional state and level of satisfaction.

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Background: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a common disease with unknown etiology. There is no curative treatment. Purslane is considered as a rich source of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of Purslane in the treatment of RAS.
Methods: A total of 50 patients were selected for this randomized triple-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial from School of Dentistry of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2011. All subjects were randomly divided into two groups. Groups A and B received placebo and Purslane, respectively, for three months. Pain intensity based on the visual analogue scale (VAS), the mean intervals of lesions occurrence, number of lesions and the mean duration of complete healing at baseline and at months 1, 2 and 3 were recorded. 
Results: While no patient complained from increased severity of pain, decreased severity of pain for 4, 3, 2, and 1 grades were recorded in %16, %20, 20%, and 40%, respectively, which were much higher than 4%, 8%, 8%, and 28%, respectively, in the control group. A significant decrease in pain intensity in VAS scores were seen after treatment in group B (P<0.001). The mean duration of complete healing showed significant differences (P<0.001) between groups A (-1.52±4.07 days) and group B (-6.56±4.50 days). The mean intervals between lesions also showed significant differences (P<0.001) between group A (17.88 days) and group B (33.12 days). No significant differences were found between group A and group B regarding to number of lesions. No serious side-effects occurred in either group.
Conclusion: According to our study, Purslane is clinically effective in treatment of RAS and considering the lack of side-effects during the study period, this medicine may be a favorable alternative treatment for recurrent aphthous stomatitis.