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Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Use of the Operant Orofacial Pain Assessment Device OPAD to Measure Changes in Nociceptive Behavior
Published on: June 10, 2013
Circadian rhythms variation of pain in burning mouth syndrome
Pia Lopez-Jornet1, Diana Molino Pagan, Paz Andujar Mateos
1Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Aging Research Institute, University of Murcia, Spain.
Objective:
To evaluate the intensity of pain and levels of disability at different times through the day in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) over a 14-day period.
Methods:
This was a prospective clinical study of 30 patients with BMS, 26 of whom completed the study. The parameters studied were pain intensity (using a visual analog scale), Disability Index (in the morning, afternoon and night), quality of life (using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD).
Results:
Mean pain was 5.1 ± 1.8 and disability was 2.09 ± 1.40. There were significant differences between the three pain measurements taken at different times of day: between morning and afternoon (P ≤ 0.001), morning and evening (P ≤ 0.001), and afternoon and evening (P ≤ 0.001). Regression analysis found that the mean Pain Disability Index (R(2) corrected = 0.329; F = 3.44; P = 0.02) was also affected by anxiety (P = 0.036).
Conclusion:
Pain and disability increase as the day progresses in patients with BMS, and are influenced by anxiety.
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