Burning mouth syndrome: a challenge for dental practitioners and patients

A retrospective study was conducted on patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) to assess demographics, onset characteristics, temporal behavior (frequency), duration, and progression of oral burning symptoms. Additionally, treatments provided by health practitioners prior to a definitive diagnosis of BMS were analyzed with an overview of current management strategies. The records of 49 adult patients diagnosed with BMS were reviewed. Descriptive statistics and a Pearson correlation with a statistical significance at p < 0.05 were utilized to analyze the data. The majority of patients were mid-life white women who reported a sudden onset of constant oral burning symptoms that increased in intensity. On average, patients reported oral burning symptoms for 41 months (standard deviation = 73.5, range = 2-360 months, median = 20 months), and 38 of the patients received/trialed 71 various interventions (mean = 1.9) prior to receiving a definitive diagnosis for their oral burning symptoms. This study sample shared many characteristics with those reported previously in the literature. The authors found that patients frequently reported delays in receiving a definitive diagnosis with an array of various trialed interventions. For this reason, the authors provide this overview of current management strategies in order to assist dental practitioners in providing appropriate interventions for patients with BMS.