Oral findings, treatment and follow-up of a case with major aphthous stomatitis (Sutton's disease).

Major aphthous stomatitis (Sutton's disease) is a clinical variant of recurrent aphthous stomatitis, which is noted for its high morbidity. Since the etiology of the disease is not clear, many therapies have been attempted. However, the controversial results hinder the adoption of a single mode of management. We present a 13-year-old boy with Sutton's disease, who was successfully treated with a combination of burst systemic prednisone (1 mg/kg/day for five days, thereafter half dose on alternate days for one week) and topical triamcinolone (four rinses a day). He continued the mouth rinses with the same interval. At the end of the first month, significant healing was observed and gradual tapering was recommended on the condition that the ulcers were well-controlled. The maintenance of steroid rinse once a day provided a symptom-free period of one year. Neither any withdrawal signs nor side affects were observed. Therefore, we think that this regimen should be considered as the treatment of choice in Sutton's disease along with a close follow-up even in childhood.