title: The application of neuropathic pain questionnaires in burning mouth syndrome patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate and compare the validity of the PainDETECT, DN4, and abbreviated DN4 (DN4i) neuropathic pain questionnaires for primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS), which is a burning sensation in the oral mucosa in the absence of any identifiable organic etiology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-one patients (42 with primary BMS and 39 with nociceptive pain) complaining of a burning sensation and pain in their oral mucosa were enrolled in this study. All of the patients completed the neuropathic pain questionnaires. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were estimated. Then the relationship between pain intensity and total neuropathic pain score was investigated. Data were analyzed with the chi-square test and independent t test for subjects' baseline characteristic differences, and with Pearson correlation coefficients for the relationship of variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean area under the ROC curves (AUCs) for PainDETECT, DN4, and DN4i were 0.81, 0.79, and 0.81, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the AUCs among the questionnaires. PainDETECT, DN4, and DN4i had a lower sensitivity and specificity for BMS compared to previous validation studies. The total scores for PainDETECT, DN4, and DN4i in the primary BMS group were significantly associated with pain intensity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the results of this study suggest that neuropathic pain questionnaires, such as PainDETECT and DN4, are not ideal principal screening tools for BMS patients, a substantial proportion of neuropathic symptoms in primary BMS patients were identified.
authors.forename: Jun-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.forename: Soo-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ok
authors.forename: Yong-Woo
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Myung-Yun
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Sung-Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jeong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019540:Area Under Curve; D002054:Burning Mouth Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002180:Candidiasis, Oral / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000294:innervation*; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D059226:Nociceptive Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D019226:Oral Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013283:Stomatitis, Herpetic / Q000175:diagnosis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014987:Xerostomia / Q000175:diagnosis