Aphthous stomatitis and the condition usually lasts for several years before gradually disappearing. There is no cure, and treatments aim to manage pain, reduce healing time and reduce the frequency of episodes of ulceration. The term is from meaning "mouth ulcer". Persons with aphthous stomatitis have no detectable systemic symptoms or signs (i.e., outside the mouth). Generally, symptoms may include prodromal sensations such as burning, itching, or stinging, which may precede the appearance of any lesion by some hours; and pain, which is often out of proportion to the extent of the ulceration and is worsened by physical contact, especially with certain
Aphthous stomatitis this condition. The origin of the word "canker" is thought to have been influenced by Latin, Old English, Middle English and Old North French. In Latin, "cancer" translates to "malignant tumor" or literally "crab" (related to the likening of sectioned tumors to the limbs of a crab). The closely related word in Middle English and Old North French, "chancre", now more usually applied to syphilis, is also thought to be involved. Despite this etymology, aphthous stomatitis is not a form of cancer but rather entirely benign. An aphtha (plural "aphthae") is a non specific term that refers to an ulcer