Recurring, painful oral ulcers.

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by painful, recurring ulcerations of the oral mucosa. Except for gingivitis, it is the most common disease affecting the oral mucosa. Approximately 20% of the general population will have this disease at one time or another. Ship and associates indicated that the incidence among professional students was much higher (60% in their study population). As aphthous-like lesions have been associated with several systemic diseases, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, Behcet's syndrome, Reiter's syndrome, neutropenias, and allergies, any patient with recurring oral ulcers should be evaluated medically for the possible presence of later development of a more serious systemic disease.