Aphthous stomatitis the lesions, the healing time of individual ulcers and whether a scar is left after healing (see below). This is the most common type of aphthous stomatitis, accounting for about 80–85% of all cases. This subtype is termed minor aphthous ulceration (MiAU), or minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis (MiRAS). The lesions themselves may be referred to as minor aphthae or minor aphthous ulcers. These lesions are generally less than 10 mm in diameter (usually about 2–3 mm), and affect non-keratinized mucosal surfaces (i.e. the labial and buccal mucosa, lateral borders of the tongue and the floor of the mouth). Usually several
Stomatitis is thought to affect about 20% of the general population to some degree. The symptoms range from a minor nuisance to being disabling in their impact on eating, swallowing and talking, and the severe forms can cause people to lose weight. There is no cure for aphthous stomatitis, and therapies are aimed at alleviating the pain, reducing the inflammation and promoting healing of the ulcers, but there is little evidence of efficacy for any treatment that has been used. Inflammation of the corners (angles) of the lips is termed angular stomatitis or angular cheilitis. In children a frequent cause is