Combined treatment of dexamethasone mouthwash and low-level laser therapy in the management of aphthous-like ulcers caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: A case report at the faculty of dentistry, Damascus University.

Oral ulcers affect the quality of life, especially if the accompanying pain is severe, and their management poses a challenge for dentists due to the difficulty of diagnosing them. Side effects of medications on the oral cavity usually play a role in these ulcers, and the severity of these side effects of medications taken orally depends on the structure and composition of the drug and the duration of exposure to the drug.

The diagnosis usually depends on the medical history and clinical results, and based on the above, a research team from the Faculty of Dentistry, Damascus University completed a case study report entitled: "Combined treatment of dexamethasone mouthwash and low-level laser therapy in the management of aphthous-like ulcers caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)."

The case report stated that a 50- year- old man visited the Department of Oral Medicine at the Faculty of Dentistry, Damascus University. Clinical examination revealed the presence of very painful aphthous- type ulcers, with a diameter of 1-2 cm, and located on the ventral part of the tongue, the buccal mucosa, and the dome of the palate. These ulcers were three weeks old, extremely painful and interfered with food, drink, and speech. No smoking history was reported.

After obtaining the medical history, and conducting the necessary clinical examinations, it was found that the patient was being treated for his otitis media, which led to the fact that treatment with non- steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs is the factor causing these oral ulcers as a side effect.

The case was treated by stopping this medication after consulting the ear, nose and throat specialist doctor. A combined treatment was applied to these oral ulcers that combines dexamethasone mouth wash suspensions and a low- power laser (LLLT). The ulcers completely healed without leaving any scars after 7 days of starting this treatment.

The case report concluded that the combined treatment of dexamethasone mouthwash and the use of low- level laser constitutes a successful option for improving response time, alleviating pain, and accelerating the healing process, which is consistent with the main therapeutic goal for severe cases of alleviating pain, reducing the size of the ulcer, shortening the healing time, and allowing healing without scarring. 

The case reportshowed that combined treatment with dexamethasone and low- level laser is promising, so the report recommended conducting clinical studies to confirm the results achieved.