The Clinical Use of Curcumin for the Treatment of Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials

Abstract

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) lesions are inflammatory painful oral ulcers with uncertain etiology. Curcumin acts as an effective anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent in the treatment of various oral diseases. This systematic review aimed to assess the effects of curcumin on RAS. A systematic search of the medical databases, PubMed, Scopus, ISI, Science Direct, and Google Scholar was performed up to March 30, 2020, to identify clinical trials assessing the effect of curcumin on aphthous ulcers. Nine studies comprising of 469 participants met all criteria and were analyzed. Treatment with curcumin significantly reduced aphthous ulcer size (seven studies), pain intensity (eight studies), number of aphthous ulcers (three studies), erythematous halo (one study), and erythema and exudate of the aphthous (one study). In four studies, the effect of curcumin on aphthous ulcer was assessed in comparison to the effects of the standard medication, triamcinolone. In all of these studies, curcumin had similar beneficial effects on the aphthous ulcer as measured by ulcer size, number, and pain. Only three studies were categorized as high quality using the Jadad scale. Within the limitations of this review, it can be concluded that curcumin may have a beneficial role in the treatment of recurrent aphthous ulcers. However, more randomized clinical trials are needed to validate these findings.