Five cases of burning lips syndrome

A recent retrospective study has suggested a new diagnostic entity called burning lips syndrome, which is distinct from burning mouth syndrome in that the burning sensation is generally limited to the lips, the labial mucosa is smooth and pale, the minor salivary glands of the lips are nonfunctional, and the syndrome presents with clinical symptoms. While burning mouth syndrome is more common in women, burning lips syndrome appears to affect men as often as it does women and typically occurs between 50 and 70 years of age. This article presents information on burning mouth syndrome as well as a prospective study of five cases used to evaluate the diagnosis of burning lips syndrome and its treatment with topical corticosteroids, which has been generally favorable.