Myths and evidence on the link between recurrent aphthous stomatitis and systemic diseases

摘要

Prof. Scully correctly noted that not all recurrent oral ulcers are recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) and that some ulcers, including aphthous-like ulcers (ALU), can be the oral sign of an underlying systemic disease. The question that is still debated and left largely unanswered by current evidence is whether some oral ulcers that are associated with or exacerbated by certain systemic diseases or local factors are indeed RAS. If they are RAS, how and why are they linked?