Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objective: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), a synthetic detergent commonly used in toothpaste, has been implicated in various studies as a cause or trigger of Recurrent Oral Ulcers (ROU). This study aimed to assess the efficacy of SLS-free toothpaste recommendations in pediatric cases with isolated ROU and Behçet Disease (BD). As a secondary aim, we also evaluated whether BD developed during the follow-up of cases with ROU. Method: This is a retrospective cohort study. Patients who received SLS-free oral care recommendations due to ROU or BD and had at least six months of follow-up data were included between February 2023 and August 2023. The clinicians did not recommend specific brands for the SLS-free oral care products. The follow-up parameters included the visual analog scale (VAS, 0-10), the total number of attacks over three months, the average number of ulcers per attack, and the average duration. Results: The follow-up data included 78 patients with ROU and 14 patients diagnosed with BD. The mean follow-up duration was 23 ± 7 months. None of the patients referred for ROU developed BD during the follow-up. The initial VAS scores, number of attacks, number of ulcers per attack, and attack duration were higher in BD patients than in ROU patients. During the follow-up visit after initiating SLS-free toothpaste (at least three months), 38 (48.7%) ROU patients reported lower VAS scores. Six patients with BD reported a decrease in the frequency of attacks. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the baseline and 6-month data regarding the number of ulcers, VAS scores, number of attacks, or attack duration. Conclusion: SLS-free toothpaste could be a good recommendation for ROU cases. Although our limited number of BD cases did not yield statistically significant results, as previously mentioned, some patients reported lower pain scores and fewer attacks.
Source: Trends in Pediatrics
DOI: 10.59213/tp.2025.217
Authors: Veysel Çam, Emil Aliyev, Erdal Sağ
Institution: Hacettepe University
Language: English
Subfield: Periodontics
Field: Dentistry
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4408684538