title: Efficacy of alpha lipoic acid in burning mouth syndrome: a randomized, placebo-treatment study.
abstract: To study the efficacy of alpha lipoic acid (ALA) in a group of patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS). Sixty BMS patients, 30 treated with ALA (Thioderm) 800 mg day(-1) for 8 weeks and 30 patients on the same protocol with a placebo. The symptomatology was measured on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Sixty patients (54 females and 6 males, mean age 64.37 +/- 11.61 years) were included. Thirty-nine patients completed the treatment (23 with ALA and 16 with a placebo). Reviews were carried out at 0, 1 and 2 months. No statistically significant differences were found in the average pre- and post-treatment values for pain with the VAS scores, obtained in the placebo (6.6 +/- 2.5 - 2.8 +/- 25 = 3.8 +/- 3.7) versus ALA (6.3 +/- 2.8 - 4.0 +/- 2.7 = 2.2 +/- 2.6). Only one patient pertaining to the group treated with ALA abandoned because of adverse gastrointestinal side effects. The results showed no significant differences between the two groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: López-Jornet
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Camacho-Alonso
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leon-Espinosa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002054:Burning Mouth Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects*; D008063:Thioctic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008063:Thioctic Acid