Aphthous stomatitis research and natural treatment by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

The cause of recurrent aphthous stomatitis is unknown and over the years a variety of treatments, including adhesive pastes, antiseptics, vitamins, herbs, and steroids have been tested. Although these treatments may reduce pain or the number of lesions in the short term, very few have had any lasting beneficial effect.

Vitamin B12 for aphthous stomatitis
Vitamin B12 is a safe, effective, and inexpensive treatment for recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Dr. Ilia Volkov, from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel, had 58 patients randomized to receive sublingual vitamin B12 (1000 mcg) or placebo daily for 6 months. Relative to placebo, treatment with vitamin B12 significantly reduced pain, the number of ulcers, and the duration of outbreaks at 5 and 6 months. Moreover, the improvements were not affected by the patients' initial serum vitamin B levels. In the last month of treatment, 74% of vitamin B12-treated patients were aphthous ulcer-free compared with 32% of those given placebo. Exactly how vitamin B12 achieves these beneficial effects is not well understood. The fact that the treatment worked equally well regardless of the initial vitamin B12 level suggests that the vitamin may possess some unrecognized functions. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine 2009;22:9-16.