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/ˈæfθəs/
🇺🇸
/ˈæfθəs/
🇬🇧
/ˈæfθəs/
🇬🇧
/ˈæfθəs/
Aphthous is an adjective used in medicine to describe small, painful, recurring ulcers that appear on the soft tissues inside the mouth — commonly called canker sores. It’s not contagious and often flares up during stress or nutritional deficiencies, like low iron or vitamin B12.
She developed several aphthous ulcers after her dental cleaning.
Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is the most common cause of oral ulcers in otherwise healthy adults.
The dentist diagnosed the painful sores as aphthous rather than herpetic, since they lacked vesicles and were not on the lips.
Stress and gluten sensitivity are known triggers for aphthous outbreaks in susceptible individuals.
Unlike cold sores, aphthous ulcers occur only on non-keratinized oral mucosa, such as the inner cheeks or tongue.
aphtha
Comes from the Ancient Greek noun 'ἀφθή' (aphthē), meaning 'ulcer' or 'sore', derived from 'aphthos' (ἄφθος), meaning 'not decaying' or 'imperishable' — ironically used to describe recurrent, non-healing oral ulcers. The root conveys a pathological lesion of mucosal tissue. Examples include aphthous, aphthae, aphthosis, and aphthoid.