Discover our study on canker sores

Accomplished during more than 6 months in several European countries, this study has gathered more than 10 000 persons suffering from canker sores. They have agreed to testify by giving us information on frequency, pain, number of their canker sores, and to tell us their experience.

You too, do not hesitate to join our study or to read the testimonials .

This study seeks at better understanding how canker sores affect people. To this day, more than 10,000 people have taken part, in three countries of Europe. This study consists in gathering anonymous opinion polls of information related to the pain of canker sores, the frequency of crises, the time length of crises, the number of canker sores during the crises, as well as of information on age and sex of the polled person.

8 striking facts of the study:

1. Women are more subject to canker sores than men


2. Women have more frequent mouth ulcers than the men


3. Recurring canker sores more commonly affect rather people 45 years of age


4. People over 45 years of age are the most affected by continuous canker sores


5. The 16-25 year olds are those who have canker sores most frequently


6. There is no link between having often canker sores often and having many ulcers at once


7. For 2 out of 3 people, pain felt due to canker sores is strong or very strong


8. The more frequent the canker sores, the more painful they are

1. Quantitative results:

1.1. Typology of the polling by sex:

1.2. Typology of the polling by age:

1.3. Frequency of canker sores:

1.4. Level of felt pain:

1.5. Number of canker sores per crisis:

1.6. Cross table Frequency/Age:

1.7. Cross table frequency / pain:

1.8. Cross table sex / frequency:

1.9. Cross table number of canker sores / frequency:

1.10. Cross table number of canker sores / Pain:

2.    Qualitative results:

In the study, it was possible to leave a comment. In the section Testimonials , you can find some of these comments, which we chose as being most typical.

Several conclusive points can be taken from these thousands of testimonials: More than 65 % of those polled confess that they haven’t found a satisfactory way to deal with their canker sores, for several reasons:

• because they have it too often to use local treatments or mouthwashes without damaging the oral mucous membranes (these products  burn, reduce the pain of the canker sore but seldom its length and its frequency of appearance)
• Or because existing medical treatments have side effects  making their use very restrictive, they hesitate to use them

Very often, those polled confess "I’ve tried everything", "I lost hope", are upset that their problem of canker sores "is not admitted", that "there is not enough research in this domain" because it is not considered to be a major public health issue. Consequences of their canker sores affect them "in everyday life", with suffering which often prevents them from enjoying life. They often feel a "desire to destroy their canker sores" and do not hesitate to apply various local treatments, but point out that "no preventive treatment allows avoiding canker sores crisis".

Most named felt reasons are:

• stress
• general fatigue sometimes depression ; anger
• The hormonal cycle of the woman (menstrual cycle , menopause)
• The weakness or imbalance of the immune system
• wounds in the mouth
• dental apparels or implants; tartar removal
• dental hygiene
• giving up smoking
• Eat too many sweets
• Eating some foods :
  • Vinegar
  • Pineapple
  • Orange
  • Nuts and dry fruits
  • Chocolate
  • Cheeses
  • An allergy or a reaction to some medication
  • A reaction to some toothpastes
  • Some diseases (Behçet’s, Crohn’s)
  • A lack of vitamins or of oligo-elements.

Most named felt discomforts are:

• pain
• difficulty to eat (pain during the contact with food)
• difficulty to  drink (wine, sour fruit juices, sometimes even  water)
• not being able to savor favorite dishes (chocolate , cheese )
• difficulty to speak (the case with numerous canker sores inside mouth)
• difficulties  to work during crises
• poor sleep
• not daring to kiss his/her partner (fright of contagion, discomfort)
• «can’t take it anymore» attitude in front of the uninterrupted repetition of crises or the reappearance of the same canker sore several times
• Tiredness of using local treatments which do not fix the reason behind canker sores

The most frequent comments on canker sores:

• Seasonality of crisis
• Many children, including babies, are affected
• Many polled persons had many canker sores in their youth, and the frequency of crises has diminished with age
• A family ground: many polled persons having canker sores told us that their parents or their children were in the same case.
• local treatments have no effect on length nor frequency of mouth ulcers
• Vicious circle of the stress which generates canker sores which generate stress etc …
• One of the most frequent  sentences: «I tried everything»
• Strong request / research of home remedies or natural treatments Effectiveness of corticoids but unpleasant side effects (erosion of oral mucous membrane if they are used over a  long period)

The frequent questions on canker sores:

• Are canker sores infectious?
• Are canker sores hereditary?
• Are canker sores an illness or a symptom?
• Canker sores and herpes: is it the same thing?
• How to struggle against the appearance of canker sores?
• Is there a natural treatment?
• What food must I avoid?
• Why do I have canker sores in days preceding my periods?
• What is the link between canker sores and tobacco?
• Are canker sores viral?
• Are canker sores bacterial?
• What are the diseases that can cause canker sores?
• Is there a connection between canker sores and cold sores?
• What is the reason of canker sores?
• What is the best local treatment?
• Is there a local treatment which does not hurt?
• Is it possible to prevent canker sores?

You will find many answers in the section Frequently Asked Questions