The relationship between smoking and recurrent aphthous stomatitis: A Mendelian randomization study.

Area of Science:

• Oral medicine
• Genetics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• An association between smoking and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is suggested by existing research.
• The precise causal link between smoking and RAS remains unclear, necessitating further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential causal relationship between smoking and the risk of developing recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) using Mendelian randomization.

Main Methods:

• A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed using genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for smoking and RAS.
• Instrumental variables for smoking were selected based on relevance, independence, and exclusivity criteria.
• Inverse variance weighting (IVW), weighted median (WM), and other MR methods were employed, with sensitivity analyses including MR-PRESSO and Cochran's Q to ensure robustness.

Main Results:

• Mendelian randomization analyses indicated a statistically significant causal association between smoking and an increased risk of RAS.
• Smokers showed a 0.3% elevated risk of RAS compared to non-smokers (IVW: OR=1.003, p=0.033; WM: OR=1.003, p=0.044).
• Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings, with no significant inconsistencies detected.

Conclusions:

• The study provides preliminary evidence supporting a causal link between smoking and an increased risk of recurrent aphthous stomatitis.
• These findings may offer insights into the mechanisms underlying RAS development.
• Further research is recommended to validate these results and explore clinical implications.