Burning mouth syndrome: prevalence and associated factors

Abstract

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by a burning sensation in the oral cavity although the oral mucosa is clinically normal. The syndrome mostly affects middle‐aged women. Various local, systemic and psychological factors have been found to be associated with BMS, but its etiology is not fully understood. Oral complaints and salivary flow were surveyed in 669 men and 758 women randomly selected from 48,500 individuals between the ages 20 and 69 years. Fifty‐three individuals (3.7%), 11 men (1.6%) and 42 women (5.5%), were classified as having BMS. In men, no BMS was found before the age group 40 to 49 years where the prevalence was 0.7%, which increased to 3.6% in the oldest age group. In women, no BMS was found in the youngest age group, but in the age group 30 to 39 years the prevalence was 0.6% and increased to 12.2% in the oldest age group. Subjective oral dryness, age, medication, taste disturbances, intake of L‐thyroxines, illness, stimulated salivary flow rate, depression and anxiety were factors associated with BMS. In individuals with BMS, the most prevalent site with burning sensations was the tongue (67.9%). The intensity of the burning sensation was estimated to be 4.6 on a visual analogue scale. There were no increased levels of depression, anxiety or stress among individuals with more pain compared to those with less pain. It was concluded that BMS should be seen as a marker of illness and/or distress, and the complex etiology of BMS demands specialist treatment.

The relationship between the clinical features of idiopathic burning mouth syndrome and self-perceived quality of life

“…However, the present study failed to demonstrate a statistical correlation between the characteristics of physical pain and the psychological status. Our findings suggest that anxiety and depression are independent of the intensity of BMS (4,31). Therefore, it remains unclear whether psychiatric disorders are a cause or consequence of iBMS.…”

“…The prolonged pain, comorbidities, and unsuccessful treatments associated with iBMS can affect one's mood (11,(15)(16)(17), induce or reinforce psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and cancerophobia (4,7,(18)(19)(20), and impair one's quality of life (10,11,(21)(22)(23). It is important to determine how the oral symptoms of iBMS impact the daily life of patients.…”

“…It affects only 0.5% of the general population (2,3) but its prevalence is higher in females and increases with age-post-menopausal women are the most affected group (up to 12% of cases) (4).…”

Diagnosis and Management of Trigeminal Neuropathic Pains

“…There is no precise information on the clinical course and prognosis of BMS. Improvement has been cited in one-half to two-thirds of patients within 6-7 years of onset, with spontaneous remission rates of 20% in that time frame [76,79]. One clinical study found spontaneous remission to occur in 3% of patients within 5 years after diagnosis [76,80].…”

Síndrome da boca ardente: etiologia

“…Synonyms found in literature include glossodynia, oral dysesthesia, glossopyrosis, glossalgia, stomatopyrosis, and stomatodynia [1][2][3][4] . It usually affects women aged between 40 and 60 years and the prevalence in the general population is 3.7% (1.6% men and 5.5% women) 5 .…”