Efficacy of alum in recurrent aphthous stomatitis

Aphthous ulcers are the most common lesions encountered in the oral cavity. The mild recurrent apthous stomatitis (RAS), is an extremely painful condition. Various treatment modalities are tried for RAS. Alum is also tried and found to be successful. Alum is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of oral ulcers without significant side effect. Aim: To assess the efficacy of alum for the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Settings and Design: Longitudinal study was carried out in the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology under institution setting. Methods and Materials: This study was conducted on 50 patients with RAS, aged between 15 and 40 years. The diagnosis of RAS was made based on its clinical appearance and the history provided by the patient. Application of alum on aphthous ulcers was done. Statistical Analysis Used: The data obtained was tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis. Results: In 50 patients reporting to the Department of Oral Medicine with RAS, 70% were female and 30% were male. Majority of cases found in the range of 21-30 years. The majority of patients gave VAS 0 on the second day of application. The rest of the patients gave a VAS 0 on the third day of application. Complete healing of the ulcer was seen in 85% of the patients on third day and the rest of the patients showed healing on fourth day. Conclusions: The results showed that alum significantly reduces the severity of pain and duration of healing without any side effects.