[Glossodynia--indication for patch testing?]

100 patients suffering from glossodynia without pathologic changes of the oral mucosa and 16 patients with suspected allergic contact stomatitis underwent patch testing using standard patch test and dental materials. The results were compared with those of patients in dental occupations suffering from hand eczema. As there is no clinical relevance of allergens in patients with glossodynia, patch testing seems to be unnecessary. On the other hand, patch test results of patients with stomatitis and dentures often suggest a causal allergy. In most of those cases, this was confirmed by complete healing after changing the denture bases, whereas in glossodynia such replacements never brought about a convincing improvement of the symptoms.