Acupuncture as an Alternative Therapy in the Management of Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS)

Abstract

In the routine of dental care, complaints of burning sensation, burning tongue and dry mouth are frequent. Due to the complexity of etiology and diagnosis, treating patients with these sensations is a challenge for clinicians. This study aimed to assess acupuncture as an alternative therapy for patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS). Clinical data were collected from visits of patients to the School of Dentistry of Piracicaba, State University of Campinas, with the application of a protocol of acupuncture points: LI-4 (Hegu), HT-7 (Shenmen), SP-6 (Sanyinjiao), ST-36 (Zusanli), REN-23 (Lianquan), REN-6 (Qihai), LI-11 (Quchi), ExHn3 (Yintang), LV-3 (Taichong), ExHn12 (Jinjin), and ExHn13 (Yuye) to treat the symptoms of BMS, from August 2017 to March 2020. The sample consisted of 6 volunteers – 5 female and 1 male patients – aged 40 to 79 years. The intensity of BMS was assessed before and after each session with self-reported verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) during the treatment. On average, each patient had 8.16 sessions using 9.92 acupuncture points per session. Variation of VNRS during the treatment showed a decline in burning mouth in most patients, and 83.34% of the sample showed partial or total improvement of symptoms. This study showed that acupuncture was effective in relieving burning mouth, reducing it by 43%, representing an alternative therapy in the management of symptoms of burning mouth syndrome.