Taste function in patients with oral burning

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is an oral pain disorder occurring primarily in post-menopausal women and is frequently accompanied by taste complaints. This association of symptoms suggests an interaction between the mechanisms of nociception and gustation, two senses with strong hedonic components. Seventy-three patients of the Taste and Smell Clinic at the University of Connecticut Health Center who reported experiencing 'unexplained oral burning' were evaluated for taste function. Both intensity ratings and quality identifications were measured for a concentration series of sucrose ('sweet'), NaCl ('salty'), citric acid ('sour') and quinine-HCl ('bitter'). The 57 women with BMS gave lower intensity ratings to NaCl and sucrose than comparably aged, same sex controls. Concentrations of NaCl and sucrose >0.10 M were most affected; concentrations of sucrose and NaCl <0.10 M were rated similarly by BMS and control women. No intensity differences were found for citric acid or quinine-HCl at any concentration and no differences were evident between the 16 BMS men and the 14 control men for any stimulus. The BMS women also misidentified the quality of 19% of the stimuli that were detected whereas control women misidentified 8%. Both groups detected a similar proportion of stimuli and found lower stimulus concentrations more difficult to identify than higher concentrations. Identification of NaCl as 'salty' and citric acid as 'sour' was particularly difficult for BMS women. The present findings are consistent with the hypothesis that pain pathway activation may affect neural and behavioral taste function.