Oral pain perception and taste in burning mouth syndrome.
BACKGROUND
Aim of this study was to investigate the effect of idiopathic burning mouth syndrome (BMS) on both, the pain perception within trigeminal lingual nerve distribution and gustatory sensitivity using capsaicin threshold test, and regional taste tests, respectively.


METHODS
Pain thresholds for capsaicin were assessed using capsaicin-impregnated filter-paper strips. The strips were placed midline on the tongue tip for whole mouth testing with the mouth closed, and on the left or right edge of the extended anterior tongue for lateralized testing. Measures of gustatory function were obtained by validated "taste strips" test kit and electrogustometry. The tests were applied to 13 patients with BMS. Results were compared with those from 28 healthy subjects.


RESULTS
Patients with BMS exhibited a decreased gustatory and somatosensory perception compared with healthy controls. These changes were found for lateralized tests but not for the whole mouth test procedure. Duration of disorder showed an effect on the capsaicin threshold, with patients being less sensitive to capsaicin exhibiting an increased duration of disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
Both pain-related and gustatory sensitivies of the tongue are found to be decreased in BMS.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany. tino.just@med.uni-rostock.de
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002054:Burning Mouth Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002211:Capsaicin / Q000494:pharmacology; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008036:Lingual Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D011803:Quinine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011934:Reagent Strips; D018689:Sensory System Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013395:Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014059:Tongue / Q000187:drug effects / Q000294:innervation
D011934:Reagent Strips; D018689:Sensory System Agents; D019343:Citric Acid; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013395:Sucrose; D011803:Quinine; D002211:Capsaicin