Burning mouth syndrome in patients treated in "Freyre de Andrade" Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital, 2009-2014

Abstract

Introduction:  Burning Mouth Syndrome is a sensitive-painful disorder of the oral cavity, characterized by chronic symptoms of burning or pain in the presence of a clinically normal oral mucosa, capable of leading to important psychosocial changes.
Objective:  To characterize, from the epidemiological point of view, the patients with Burning Mouth Syndrome treated in "Freyre de Andrade" Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital from 2008 to 2014.
Material and Methods:A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 36 patients with Burning Mouth Syndrome from February 2009 to June 2014.  The following variables were studied: age; sex; symptoms and their localization; and systemic and local risk factors, as well as clinical subtype.
Results:  The 77,8% of people affected were female and the 22,2% were male, whereas the 72,2% belonged to the group of 60 years and over. The 66,6% followed treatment with xerostomizing drugs; the 27,8% of patients presented factors related to prosthetic use as a local risk factor; the 13,8% presented diffuse symptoms in the oral cavity; the 44,4% of patients reported symptoms in the tongue, and the 25 % presented symptoms in the mucosa of the cheek; whereas the 66,7% belonged to the subtype II.
Conclusions:Burning Mouth Syndrome predominates in the female sex and the group of 60 years and over in the patients studied.  The most frequent risk factors are the xerostomizing drugs, menopause, and psychological disorders.  Burning mouth is the most referred symptom, the tongue is the most affected site, and most of the patients belong to subtype II.    

Keywords: Burning Mouth Syndrome, burning mouth, Xerostomia, dry mouth.