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Burning Mouth Syndrome

Description

Burning mouth syndrome is a general term used to describe different types of sensations occurring in the mouth. The predominant sensation experienced by patients of this syndrome is burning, whereas, other types of sensations include tingling (sharp pain), scalding (distressing), or numbness (loss of sensation). This disease can affect any part of your mouth but commonly involves lips, tongue, and palate (roof of your mouth).

Causes

Causes of burning mouth syndrome can be classified as primary and secondary. The primary cause of burning mouth syndrome is unclear and cannot be explained by any laboratory investigation or ongoing health condition. Whereas, secondary causes of burning mouth syndrome are:

  • Gastric acid (stomach acid) reflux (acid from the stomach comes back into the mouth),
  • Allergic reaction to any dental appliance such as a denture or any orthodontic appliance,
  • Anxiety, depression, and emotional distress,
  • Hormonal imbalance due to diabetes (raised blood sugar level), menopause (end of periods), and thyroid disease,
  • Xerostomia (dry mouth) caused by any medicines or Sjogren syndrome,
  • Lack of vitamins or minerals,
  • Thrush (infection caused by yeast in your mouth).
Risk factors

The chances of BMS are high when there is a presence of:

  • Acidity problem (the backflow of acid and food content from the stomach to food pipe)
  • Diseases that lowers the immunity e.g. Diabetes.
  • Dry mouth linked to radiation therapy in cancer treatment and Sjogren’s syndrome (low saliva producing condition).
  • Fungal infection of the mouth called ‘thrush’.
  • Deficiency of iron, folic acid, and vitamins.
  • Nutritional deficiencies,
  • Administration of blood pressure medicines,
  • Oral habits such as biting the tip of the tongue or grinding teeth,
  • Diabetes (raised blood sugar level) or thyroid disease,
  • Excessive mouth irritation caused by overzealous brushing, excess intake of acidic drinks, or use of an abrasive toothbrush,
  • Physical or emotional distress,
  • Female gender,
  • Age over 50,
  • Postmenopausal women (end of periods).
Symptoms

Major symptoms experienced by patients of burning mouth syndrome are burning sensation on single or multiple places in the oral cavity, numbness or tingling (sharp pain) which may be continuous or intermittent (comes and goes), trouble in swallowing, dry mouth, sore throat, increased thirst, and alteration in taste.

Diagnosis

Identifying a condition like BMS is done by:

  1. Examining the mouth to check for any infections, problematic dentures or signs of acidity.
  2. A complete medical history to identify any disease or medicine causing the symptoms.
  • Blood sugar test (random and fasting) to check for Diabetes.
  • Allergy tests help in tracking the possible allergen.
  • Measure the production of saliva, through saliva flow tests.
  • When the condition persists, a ‘biopsy’ might be done of the mouth tissue.
Management

The first step in managing burning mouth syndrome is to find out its causative factor. In case of a secondary cause, your doctor will try to treat the underlying disorder and that should provide you relief from burning mouth syndrome, whereas in cases where there is no apparent cause, your doctor will focus on providing you relief from your symptoms by prescribing you pain-relieving medicines, mouthwashes, vitamin supplements, and hormone replacement in women.

When to consult a doctor?

You are advised to consult a doctor if your symptoms worsen, there is no improvement in your condition, you start experiencing side effects from the medicines that you are taking, you start feeling anxious or depressed, or there is a general feeling of discomfort.

Available Medicine for Burning Mouth Syndrome