Serum levels of vitamin D in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is one of the most common recurrent ulcerations in the oral mucosa, the etiology of which has not been elucidated; the immune system dysfunction may play an important role in the pathogenesis of RAS. The anti-inflammatory and regulatory role of vitamin D in the functioning of the immune system is well-documented. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the serum levels of vitamin D between patients with RAS and healthy controls. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this case-control study, 43 patients with minor RAS and 43 healthy controls were included. Two groups were matched in terms of age and sex. Blood samples were obtained from all participants. The serum levels of vitamin D were measured with the use of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patient and control groups. The data was analyzed using the SPSS for Windows software, v. 17.0, with the independent samples t test and the Mann-Whitney test. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean serum level of vitamin D in the control group was significantly higher than that in the case group (22.59 +/-16.06 ng/mL vs 13.19 +/-8.19 ng/mL, respectively; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The serum levels of vitamin D are lower in patients with RAS in comparison with healthy controls.