Role of vitamin B12 in treating recurrent aphthous stomatitis: A review

Abstract

Abstract. Vitamin B12, a water-soluble vitamin, plays a vital role in the formation of hematopoietic stem cells and has been associated with oral mucosal diseases, mainly recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). The latter is a debilitating condition, and B12 was proposed as a potential treatment given its role in regenerating oral mucosal tissue. There is conflicting evidence that B12 deficiency causes RAS. Five of the seven randomized controlled trials reviewed used the inactive form of B12 (cyanocobalamin) as intervention, while the other two used the active form (methylcobalamin). Of the latter two, buccal discs (500 μg B12) showed significant improvement and reduced perceived pain in 77% of the subjects, and submucosal injections showed a significant difference in pain, starting from the second day. Moreover, three studies administered vitamin B12 sublingually with different dosages, which revealed that the higher dose (1000 μg) achieved a significant reduction in outbreaks, number, and duration of ulcers, especially after six months. Multivitamins showed no difference in new RAS episodes and duration. Injectable B12 was compared with the oral form, and nearly 50% of the injection group reported a desired response by the eighth week. An ointment form (500 μg) showed a significant reduction in pain levels after two days of treatment. Based on the available literature, we suggest that a daily dose of 1000 μg of vitamin B12 sublingually for six months can be used to treat RAS. Nevertheless, this conclusion should be considered tentative due to the lack of high quality, large scale studies.

Association of IL-1β 542 T>A gene polymorphism with recurrent aphthous stomatitis in Erbil City population

“…Water-soluble vitamin B12 has been linked to oral mucosal illnesses, including recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), and is essential for the development of hematopoietic stem cells [21]. Some RAS patients have been shown to have deficiencies in zinc, hematinics (iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid), and vitamin D. However, the causes of how hematinic deficits could affect how the immune response develops in RAS have not been sufficiently clarified [22].…”

Detection and Analysis of the Oral Flora in Patients with Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis

“…Some studies noted that a lack of micronutrients (e.g., vitamins, serum iron, ferritin, and folic acid) may affect the occurrence and development of RAS, but this result is controversial [11][12][13][14]. Some studies Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine showed that vitamin B12 treatment was effective in patients suffering from RAS [13,15]. A Turkish study on serum zinc and vitamin D reported an association between zinc deficiency and RAS [16].…”

Dermatologic Manifestations in Vitamin B12 Deficiency: A Review

“…The administration routes are various, including oral, sublingual, intramuscular (IM), intranasal, intravenous, and deep subcutaneous formulations, with parenteral administration usually reserved for severe cases of deficiency in practice. However, a Cochrane review in 2018 concluded that low-quality evidence suggests oral and IM vitamin B12 have similar effects regarding normalizing serum vitamin B12 levels, with an advantage for oral treatment being less expensive (Taleb, 2020).…”

“…Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin that is essentially found in food of animal source. It has an important role in hematopoietic cell formation (Brescoll, 2015;Taleb, 2020). Vitamin B12 is present in different forms in the human body, with methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin being the two metabolically active forms (Brescoll, 2015).…”