Burning mouth syndrome - Proper diagnosis helps patients extinguish flames

Burning mouth syndrome
Proper diagnosis helps patients extinguish flames
June 1, 2004
Academy of General Dentistry
CHICAGO (June 1, 2004) - A burning sensation on your tongue or lips that gets worse as the day goes on, may drive you crazy, and it may mean you have Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS), a difficult to diagnose condition. BMS affects approximately one percent of the population, but it could be as high as five percent, according to an article in the June 2004 issue of AGD Impact, the newsmagazine of the Academy of General Dentistry.
In approximately 30 percent of the cases, systemic problems, such as diabetes, vitamin deficiency, gastrointestinal reflux disorder, anemia or side effects from medications that cause dry mouth, may cause BMS. In 70 percent of the cases, doctors are unable to pinpoint the source, but know that it occurs more often in women than in men.
"Patients ask how BMS is diagnosed, how it is treated and if it's related to cancer," says Andres Pinto, DMD, lead author of a BMS recent report found in General Dentistry, the AGD's clinical, peer-reviewed journal.
"Dentists diagnose BMS by ruling out chronic problems," says Dr. Pinto. He assures patients that BMS is not and cannot cause cancer. For the 70 percent of the population where no diagnosis can be pinpointed, your dentist will treat the symptoms through topical rinses, anesthetics, anti-depressants in low doses or capsaicin (a red pepper derivative).
"Your dentist may place you on an antidepressant, which masks the burning sensation that occurs on the tongue by changing the brain chemicals," says Trey Petty, DDS, FAGD and AGD spokesperson. "Capsaicin, another alternative, works by overwhelming the mouth by providing the pain with a distraction."
Both experts agree, while BMS is hard to diagnose and is relatively rare, the symptoms may eventually disappear. Patients experiencing an ongoing burning sensation should immediately see their dentist.
Do You Have BMS? Check For:
Burning sensations in mouth area
Dry mouth
Altered taste perception
Changes in eating habits
Irritability
Depression
Changes in medications