The Role of Psychological Factors in Burning Mouth Syndrome

Abstract

Objectives:

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized as a burning sensation in the mouth without definite oral pathology. Although BMS is not uncommon, the etiology and psychological profiles are not well established. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of psychological factors in BMS patients.

Methods:

We prospectively compared the psychiatric symptoms using Symptom Checklist-90-Revised questionnaire (SCL-90-R) in 50 patients diagnosed with BMS and 52 controls who had no oral and pharyngeal disease from December 2012 to June 2013.

Results:

The mean age (56.8 vs 52.8 years, P = .18) and male to female ratio (42% vs 46%, P = .95) did not differ between the 2 groups. Somatization, obsessive-compulsive, depression, anxiety, phobic anxiety, and psychoticism scores of SCL-90-R were significantly higher in the BMS group than in the control group (P < .05). In the subgroup analysis according to sex, the male group showed similar patterns, whereas the BMS group showed higher somatization, anxiety, phobic anxiety, and psychoticism scores than the control group in the female group analysis. The psychiatric symptoms of SCL-90-R did not correlate with sex, age, and duration of symptoms in the BMS group. Comorbid disease such as hypertension, diabetes, rheumatoid disorder, or chronic hepatitis in BMS patients was significantly associated with higher somatization and obsessive-compulsive scores compared with BMS patients without comorbidity.

Conclusions:

Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that psychosomatic factors may contribute to the development of BMS.