Various hypotheses have so far been built up for the etiology of chronic recurrent aphtha and Behget disease. Although there seems to be some hypotheses common to both diseases, neither definite theory nor established therapy has been formed yet.
On this occasion, the authors have tried a therapy with 2% tetracycline (hereinafter referred to as TC) solution gargle and dental chronic focus treatment on a total of 38 cases comprising 25 of chronic recurrent aphtha and 13 of Behget disease accompanied with recurrent aphthous stomatitis, and examined therapeutic effects on clinical symptoms and changes in various clinical tests values. On the other hand, as a contribution to the search for the etiology of recurrent aphthous stomatitis, intraoral live mycoplasma count and serum antimycoplasma antibody titer were also examined. The results obtained are as follows;
1) In terms of therapeutic effects on recurrent aphthous stomatitis, dental chronic focus treatment tended to cause temporary symptomatic improvement and 2% TC solution gargle was highly effective in the direction of remarkably controlling the incidence of recurrence, reducing the size and pain of ulceration.
2) Treatment with 2% TC solution gargle also has a obvious effect on systemic symptoms of Behget disease, but took a longer period of time for its improvement compared with oral symptoms.
3) Clinical test findings after the start of 2% TC solution gargle for Behget disease were suggestive of an improvement in the morbid picture.
4) Intraoral live mycoplasma count tended to be a little higher for Behget disease, as was the same as serum anti-mycoplasma antibody titer. However, in view of the observed tendency to the improvement in serum anti-mycoplasma antibody titer after the start of TC solution gargling, partial involvement of mycoplasma in the pathogenesis of recurrent aphthous stomatitis in Behget disease was also suggested.