Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2025
Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
Comparative analysis of photobiomodulation therapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for burning mouth:
Cristianne Kalinne Santos Medeiros1,2, Maria do Carmo Pessoa Nogueira Serrão3, Antonio Adilson Soares de Lima4
1Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Salgado Filho, 1787, Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN, 59056-000, Brazil. cristiannekalinne@gmail.com.
Objective:
To compare the effect of photobiomodulation (PBM) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in the treatment of burning mouth.
Materials And Methods:
Randomized clinical trial of 25 patients with burning mouth treated by TENS (n=12) and PBM (n=13). The patients were treated weekly for 8 weeks. Two-factor ANOVA was used to determine whether the two interventions promoted significant differences in symptoms (measured with a visual analogue scale), unstimulated salivary flow, xerostomia, and dysgeusia between T0 (baseline), T1 (after the 4th treatment session), T2 (after the 8th treatment session), and T3 (30 days after the end of treatment).
Results:
Intragroup comparison of VAS scores for pain showed a significant difference between T0xT1, T0xT2, and T0xT3 in the TENS group and between T0xT2 and T0xT3 in the PBM group (p˂0.001). Intergroup comparison of VAS scores for pain between T2xT3 showed a better response to PBM than to TENS (p=0.003). Patients of the TENS group showed an increase in salivary flow between T1 and T2 (p=0.052). There were no expressive variations in xerostomia or dysgeusia in the two groups analyzed.
Conclusion:
TENS and PBM were effective in reducing the symptoms of burning mouth during and after treatment. The PBM group showed a better response during follow-up.
Trial Registration:
This clinical trial was registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov (Number: NCT05816200).
Clinical Relevance:
TENS was found to be a safe and effective therapy for burning mouth. Trial registration number (TRN) and date of registration: This clinical trial was registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov (Number: NCT05816200; date: May 08, 2023).
