Abstract
PURPOSE: To examine the clinical efficacy of a chlorhexidine gargle combined with recombinant bovine basic fibroblast growth factor (rb-bFGF) gel in the treatment of recurrent oral ulcers and its effects on inflammatory factors, immune function, and recurrence rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-six patients with recurrent oral ulcers were randomly assigned to two groups: experimental (treatment with chlorhexidine gargle plus rb-bFGF gel) and control (treatment with chlorhexidine gargle alone) (n = 48 cases). The therapeutic efficacy, clinical improvement of symptoms, and recurrence rate within 3 months were compared between the two groups. Serum inflammatory factor and immune factor levels of patients in the two groups were measured before and after treatment. RESULTS: A statistically significantly higher total effective rate was found in patients of the experimental group (95.83%) versus the control group (81.25%) (p < 0.05). The time to onset of pain relief was shortened, the duration of pain relief was prolonged, and VAS scores for pain level were lower in the experimental than the control group (p < 0.05). Among patients in the experimental group, the number of oral ulcers and ulcer area decreased, and faster onset of pain relief and time until normal eating improved in comparison to the control group (p < 0.05). Reduced levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were observed in the experimental vs the control group (p < 0.05). Elevated levels of CD3+, CD4+, and NKT and reduced levels of CD8+ were found in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The ulcer recurrence rate of patients in the experimental group (8.33%) was notably lower in comparison to the control group (29.17%). CONCLUSION: Chlorhexidine gargle plus rb-bFGF gel can improve the clinical outcome of patients with recurrent oral ulcers. It can reduce the levels of inflammatory factors, improve immune function, and reduce the recurrence rate.