Aphthous Stomatitis (Canker Sores)
Aphthous stomatitis, also called canker sores, refers to superficial ulcers in the mouth. It is an oral condition within ENT health, rather than a treatment or supplement itself.
Find focused information on Aphthous Stomatitis (Canker Sores) and its place within ENT health.
This list shows research findings, not treatments. Nothing here replaces medical care. If you have this condition, talk to a doctor.
May not suit people with this condition
Supplements and practices linked to problems for people with this condition.
Tongue ScrapingpracticeUnclear
Scraping over active canker sores can cause further trauma, which may delay healing and increase pain.
Open the Tongue Scraping page
The expert view shows every study, dose protocol and source.
What may help
Interventions recorded as helping with this conditionNothing in this library is currently recorded as helping with Aphthous Stomatitis (Canker Sores). That means nothing is on file — not that nothing exists. Only 107 of 338 catalogued supplements have a written-up profile so far.
What to avoid
Interventions recorded as making it worse1 listedHighest probability
- →PracticesTongue ScrapingCertaintyLowSourceReference knowledge
Scraping over active canker sores can cause further trauma, which may delay healing and increase pain.
Open Tongue ScrapingRationale
Tongue scraping during active aphthous ulcers can cause further trauma, delay healing, and increase pain.
How to read the evidence
Evidence tier — overall strength of the evidence for the whole compound
- StrongWell established — backed by strong, consistent human research.
- ModerateSome genuine support, but mostly from small or lower-quality studies. Promising, not proven.
- PreliminaryEarly-stage evidence — a promising hypothesis, not an established effect yet.
- LimitedVery limited evidence — treat this as a hypothesis, not proof.
- InsufficientNot enough good evidence to draw conclusions yet.
Certainty — how sure we can be that the effect is real
- Very highVery sure — strong, consistent evidence
- HighFairly sure — consistent evidence from good studies
- MediumModerately sure — new studies could change this
- LowNot sure — little or mixed evidence
- Very lowVery unsure — almost no usable evidence
Source — where the data comes from
- Meta-analysisPooled analysis of many trials — the strongest evidence
- RCTRandomized controlled trial — a strong human study design
- ClinicalA human clinical study
- Reference knowledgeFrom general health-science or pharmacology references, not a study of this exact claim
- Animal researchStudied in animals, not humans
- Community reportsAggregated user reports — anecdotal signal, not evidence
- TheoreticalMechanism-based reasoning, not yet tested
Study grade — quality of each underlying study (A best, D weakest)
- AHigh-quality — strong, consistent human trials
- BGood — solid evidence with some limitations
- CModerate — limited, small, or mixed-quality studies
- DWeak — preliminary, indirect, or animal-only
Confidence — how strongly the sources back a finding
A 0–100 score from study quality and agreement
Most supplement evidence is graded C–D. Read it as preliminary signal, not proof.
Full write-up
What is it
Aphthous stomatitis, also called canker sores, refers to superficial ulcers in the mouth. It is an oral condition within ENT health, rather than a treatment or supplement itself.
Options discussed in relation to it include Aloe Vera, Zinc, and Chamomile. The available findings address effects such as pain, wound size, and recovery time, but do not specify a particular health status for the people studied.
Evidence-backed options
The evidence for these options is limited overall and does not establish a single preferred approach for aphthous stomatitis. Aloe Vera is supported by clinical evidence, while Zinc has evidence from a randomized controlled trial. Chamomile is described in pharmacology references as a traditional option, which represents a different and less direct type of support than clinical research.
The options are not interchangeable: the evidence differs in both strength and what was evaluated, and the available summaries do not establish how quickly effects should appear or how long treatment should continue. The health status of the people studied was not specified, so it is unclear how well these findings apply across different groups or to recurrent, severe, or unusual mouth ulcers.
This information is educational rather than a treatment recommendation. Anyone considering an option for a medical condition should consult a clinician, particularly when sores persist, recur frequently, or have features that are not typical.