Burning mouth syndrome

Abstract

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS), a chronic orofacial pain syndrome is characterized by the presence of burning, stinging, and/or itching of the oral cavity in the absence of specific oral lesion. This condition affects chiefly of middle-aged and elderly woman with hormonal changes or psychological disorders. In addition to burning sensation, patient with BMS can be accompanied by gustatory disturbances such as dysgeusia (distortion in the sense of taste), parageusia, and subjective xerostomia (dry mouth) also complains of oral mucosal pain. This condition is probably of multifactorial origin, involving various local, systemic, and/or psychogenic causes, often idiopathic and its exact etiopathogenesis remains unclear. Female gender, premenopausal, depression and anxiety, Parkinson's disease, and chronic medical conditions including gastrointestinal and urogenital diseases are risk factors for developing BMS. BMS most often involves the tongue with or without extension to the lips and oral mucosa. The present paper discusses several aspects of BMS, updates current knowledge, and provides guidelines for patient management. The aim of this study is to review the current concepts regarding pathogenesis, classification, diagnosis, and treatment for this disorder. A literature review was carried out on Google Scholar and PubMed/Medline about the BMS and the related articles was selected and reviewed. BMS is a painful and often frustrating condition to the patients. There is no universal opinion regarding etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of BMS. BMS is a diagnosis of ejection which plausibly has multifactorial origin. A thorough understanding of the etiology and psychological impact of this disorder is required for better management. Diverse pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies are available, but it is unmanageable to achieve curative treatment. Compounding of cognitive behavioral therapy, alpha-lipoic acid, and/or clonazepam had shown promising results.