Sir,
Recurrent aphthous stomatitis appears rather suddenly and causes much discomfort for several days. The condition seems to be due to a cytokine cascade that leads to an enhanced cell-mediated immune response to an antigenic stimulus within the oral epithelium.¹ To modulate this abnormal response, corticosteroids are used, and topical agents are preferred, as they have fewer side-effects. The problem with these agents resides in their being presented in an adherent paste or gel vehicle, which requires the affected area of the mucosa to be dried first, and then a thin layer of the medicine to be quickly applied, before saliva covers the ulcer again. Patients find this painful and cumbersome, although pain relief and accelerated healing is promoted.

To see whether a liquid vehicle, which is easy to apply, would also be effective in the treatment of this condition, we studied 35 patients with recurrent minor aphthae with a maximum . . . [Full text of this article]