efficacy of propolis mouth wash for treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis

introduction : recurrent aphthous stomatitis (ras) is an oral lesion in the form of round or oval, single or multiple painful inflammatory ulcers in the non-keratinized mucosa. the etiology of ras has not yet to be clearly identified; however, inflammatory process mediated by the action of free radicals and oxidative stress is a possible mechanism. this study aimed to assess the efficacy of propolis for treatment and decrease in frequency of ras. materials and methods : this triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on 45 patients with ras. patients were divided into two groups of intervention (n=22, propolis) and control (n=23, placebo). total antioxidant status (tas) and level of superoxide dismutase (sod) and glutathione peroxidase (gpx) of the saliva were measured at baseline and three months after the intervention. number, size and location of ulcers, pain intensity according to a numerical scale, the healing time and salivary flow rate were assessed at three months compared to baseline. data were analyzed using mann whitney and t-tests. results : significant differences were noted between the two groups of propolis and placebo and also within each group at three months compared to baseline in terms of number and size of ulcers, the intensity of pain, the frequency of occurrence and the healing time (p<0.001). tas (p=0.909), sod (p=0.943) and gpx (p=0.094) were changed but were not significantly different before and after the intervention. the difference in salivary flow rate was not significant either (p=0.153). no complication occurred in any group. conclusion : propolis mouthwash can be effective for prevention and treatment of ras. key words : antioxidants, recurrent aphtouse stomatitis, propolis, saliva, treatment.