Patient Expectations of Visiting Department of Oral Medicine for Burning Mouth Syndrome: Relationship between Expectations and Clinical and Psychological Characteristics

Abstract

The aims of this study were to investigate the expectation of patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) and assess the relationship between patient expectations and clinical and psychological characteristics. Methods: Eligibility was retrospectively assessed on 93 patients with BMS. A total of five questionnaires on patients' expectation for a visit, pain, sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), cognition (Pain Catastrophizing Scale) and psychological distress (Symptom Checklist-90 revised) were measured. Results: Sixty-five patients were included in this study. The top 3 priorities of expectation for a treatment visit to the Department of Oral Medicine were as following; "I want my pain to be free"; "I want to understand why it hurts"; "I want to communicate better with doctors about pain". Patients with priority of pain relief showed poor sleep quality than patients who are more interested in the disease related information. Conclusions: To improve treatment outcomes of BMS, clinicians should improve their own understanding of patients who are suffering from BMS. Inquiring about the patient expectations may be one of them, and it would contribute to the enhancement of patients' overall well-being.