Evaluation of Salivary Folate, Ferritin, and Vitamin B12 in Patients with Recurrent Aphthous Ulcers

Recurrent aphthous ulcers (RAU) are one of the most common lesions of the oral mucosa affecting at least 10-20% of the general population. Various factors have been reported as predisposing or related factors to RAU. However, the etiopathogenesis of the condition is still unknown, and no definitive medication is available in this regard. This study aimed to compare the levels of the salivary folate, ferritin, and vitamin B12 in patients with RAU versus healthy controls.

This cross-sectional study compared 30 patients in the case group and 30 healthy individuals in the control group. Moreover, in selecting the case and control groups, it was tried to match them in terms of age, gender, and to some extent socio-economic status. Folate, ferritin, and vitamin B12 levels were evaluated using specific kits and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version17) using descriptive statistics (Mean±SD) Mann Whitney U test, and independent t-tests. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The results of the Mann-Whitney U test showed that the salivary level of vitamin B12, folate, and ferritin was significantly lower in the patients with RAU, compared to the healthy group (p < /em><0.05).

The results of this study show that low salivary levels of vitamin B12, folate, and ferritin can be effective in increasing the risk of recurrent oral aphthous ulcers.