Comparison of the Sex Hormones’ Serum Level in Women With Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis and Healthy Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the sex hormonal serum level in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis and compare them with healthy participants. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis who had referred to Shiraz Dental Faculty, Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine Department during 2018-2019. The non -menopause women with recurrence of at least 3 lesions per year were enrolled in this study.The mean serum level of FSH, LH, PRL (prolactin), testosterone, DHT (Dihydrotestosterone), DHEA-S (Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate), estradiol and progesterone of 30 participants in each group of case and control were measured and compared. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 18 and independent T-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman’s correlation coefficient test, Chi-square test and Fisher’s test. Results: The mean serum level of DHEA-S in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) was significantly lower than the control group (p value=0.002). In addition to DHEA-S, the mean serum level of testosterone was lower in the evaluation group although this difference was not significant (p value=0.057).Considering the effect of age on the mean serum level of sex hormones, our results revealed that only DHEA-S mean serum level was decreased by increasing the age of participants in patients with RAS (p value=0.018).The number of participants with abnormal range of testosterone (p value<0.0001) and progesterone (p value=0.037) serum level was significantly more in patients with RAS. The frequency of RAS in a year did not show a significant relationship with the serum level of the evaluated hormones. Conclusion: The patients with RAS had a lower serum level of DHEA-S. The mean serum level of testosterone and progesterone was significantly abnormal in RAS patients.