Detection of Helicobacter pylori in oral aphthous ulcers

A causative role for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in the pathogenesis of oral mucosal ulcerations has been suggested previously. We have adopted th e polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a rapid and sensitive means to detect H. pylori in swabs of recurrent oral aphthous ulcers and in samples of othe r oral sites. Of the oral aphthous ulcer samples, 32 (71.8%) were found to be positive, while the saliva and plaque samples (most of them taken from t he patients with aphthous ulcers) were consistently negative for H. pylori DNA, as detected by the PCR assay. Only two of the swab samples from the to ngue (collected at the time of concurrent, H. pylori-positive oral aphthous ulcers) were found to be positive. The data suggest that H. pylori may be associated frequently with recurrent oral aphthous ulcers, and are consiste nt with previous studies indicating that saliva and plaque are not likely s ources of contamination with this microorganism There was no apparent corre lation with HIV status (infection with human immunodeficiency virus). The p ossible pathogenic significance of Helicobacter pylori in oral ulcerations is discussed.