Effect of Zinc Oxide Ointment on Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis (ZO-RAS)

April 29, 2026 updated by: Esraa hamdy, Faculty of Dental Medicine for Girls

Evaluation of Zinc Oxide Ointment in Treatment of Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis

This randomized placebo-controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of zinc oxide ointment in the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). The study included 100 patients randomly assigned to receive either zinc oxide ointment or a placebo, applied three times daily for six days. Pain intensity was measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS), and oral health-related quality of life was assessed using OHIP-14 at baseline and on days 1, 3, and 6.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial investigated the efficacy of topical zinc oxide ointment in the management of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS). A total of 100 participants diagnosed with RAS were enrolled and randomly assigned in equal proportions to either the intervention group receiving zinc oxide ointment or the control group receiving a placebo formulation. The study medication was applied topically three times daily for a duration of six consecutive days.

Clinical outcomes were assessed at baseline and on days 1, 3, and 6 post-treatment initiation. Pain intensity was evaluated using a visual analogue scale (VAS), while oral health-related quality of life was measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Additional clinical observation included assessment of ulcer size and surrounding erythematous halo.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
100

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
    • Cairo Governorate
      • Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt, 11651
        • Faculty of Dental Medicine for Girls ,Al-Azhar university

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • -Systemically healthy subjects suffering from minor oral RAS.
  • Patients of both sexes, aged 16-45 years (to avoid the potential effects of age on healing).
  • Participants had not received any treatment for the ulcers before being included in the study and had no active periodontitis.
  • Ulcers are of a duration of less than 48 hours.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • -Participants with removable prosthetic or orthodontic appliances (to avoid potential effects on healing).
  • Tobacco chewers, smokers or alcoholics.
  • Pregnant or lactating females.
  • Patients who had previously or are presently taking medications that could affect events associated with the healing process (erg, corticosteroids, oral antidiabetics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, immune-modulating agents).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Znic Oxide Ointment group
Participants administrated Zinc Oxide Ointment 3 times for 7days. Participants instructed to apply ointment after drinking and eating.
Drug: zinc oxide
zinc oxide ointment that was formulated as in a polyethylene glycol base. The prepared ointment was evaluated for organoleptic properties such as odor, color, pH, smoothness, and spread ability
Other Names:
  • Medicated ointment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Placebo ointment was administered by this group; it was prepared the same as the test ointment, without zinc oxide.
Drug: Placabo
A topical placebo ointment that was prepared the same as the test ointment without zinc oxide.
Other Names:
  • Ointment without Zinc Oxide

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Visual analog scale
Time Frame: Before treatment ,Day 1,Day 3 and Day 6
A Visual Analog Scale (VAS) is a subjective, validated, 100mm (or 10cm) straight-line tool used in healthcare to measure pain intensity, fatigue, or other sensations. Patients mark their sensation level between "no pain" (0) and "worst pain imaginable" (100). It is highly sensitive for tracking changes in symptoms over time
Before treatment ,Day 1,Day 3 and Day 6

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Diameter of the ulcer
Time Frame: Day before treatment,1st day,3rd day and 6th day
Measurement of erythematous halo diameter and whitish base
Day before treatment,1st day,3rd day and 6th day
OHIP-14
Time Frame: At day 6
Oral health impact 14 questionnaire Secondary outcome: Oral health-related quality of life assessed using the validated Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), with scores ranging from 0 to 56, where higher scores indicate poorer quality of life.
At day 6

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Faculty of Dental Medicine for Girls

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Cairo University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Naglaa M. El-Wakeel, PhD, Al Azhar University for girls

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 30, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 30, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 22, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • OMDR_105_1q

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

This study investigated whether zinc oxide (ZnO) ointment can help reduce pain and improve healing in patients with recurrent aphthous ulcers (mouth ulcers). One hundred participants were divided into two groups: one received ZnO ointment and the other received a placebo. The treatment was applied three times daily for six days. Pain levels and oral health impact were measured before and after treatment. The results showed that ZnO ointment helped reduce pain faster in the early days compared to placebo, but there was no significant difference in overall quality of life after six days.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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