Investigation of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Gene Polymorphisms in Patients with Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis

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ofluoglu d., Kucukhuseyin O., ZEYBEK U., Tanyeri H., Turgay T.

Essentials of dentistry (Online), sa.1, ss.1-8, 2026 (TRDizin)

Özet

Background: This study examined whether the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T variant was related to recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) and assessed the accompany- ing hematological and biochemical findings. Methods: The case–control sample comprised 90 individuals with RAS and 87 unaffected controls who reported no previous oral aphthous ulcers. Participant characteristics were doc- umented, while pain and ulcer severity were quantified with validated assessment tools. Laboratory assessment covered serum iron, ferritin, folate, vitamin B12, and total iron-binding capacity. Genotyping of the C677T locus was performed by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results: The proportion of smokers was lower among patients with RAS than among controls (15.6% vs. 41.4%, P < .001), whereas a family history of RAS was reported more often in the patient group (51.1% vs. 20.7%, P < .001). Neither genotype frequencies nor allele distribu- tions showed a between-group difference. Low serum folate was observed in 17.8% of patients and 8.0% of controls (P = .044). Within the RAS cohort, the frequency of low folate varied across genotypes and was highest among TT carriers (44.4%, P = .039). In the adjusted model, gastrointestinal disease (odds ratio [OR] = 3.364, P = .019), a positive family history (OR = 4.516, P < .001), and low serum folate (OR = 5.996, P = .011) were independently related to RAS, while smoking was inversely associated with disease status (OR = 0.249, P = .001). Conclusion: The results do not support a direct relationship between MTHFR C677T and RAS. In contrast, low folate remained independently associated with the disease, pointing to a possible contribution of altered folate metabolism.