Burning Mouth Syndrome and Its Related Risk Factors in Females

Background: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is pain or burning sensation on the tongue or other mucosal membranes with at least 4 - 6 months duration and without clinical or laboratory findings. Its etiology is unknown and the prevalence varies across studies. Objectives: The current study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of BMS in female patients referred to Al-Zahra Hospital of Rasht, Iran, and investigating its related factors. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted from March to December 2015. A total of 2400 females referred to the gynecological clinic of Al-Zahra hospital were examined and a researcher-made check list was completed. The diagnosis of BMS was based on patients’ self-report about burning sensation in the oral mucosa with no clinical symptoms in the oral cavity. After the check list was completed, the SPSS software version 16 was used for statistical analysis using chi-square and the Cramer test. Results: According to the results of the current study, 3% of patients had burning mouth syndrome. The age range of most patients was 40 to 49 (54.2%) years and 38.9% of them were menopause. The most common sites of involvement were the tip of the tongue (33.3%), and lower lip (19.4%), respectively. The most common type of BMS was type 1 (51.4%). About 63.9% of participants had xerostomia; 9.7% of patients had para functional habits. No significant relationship was observed between oral hygiene, systemic disease, using denture, and BMS. There was a weak relationship between seasonal allergies and BMS. Conclusions: To the authors best knowledge, BMS prevalence in the current study was consistent with that of international statistics. BMS more commonly affected females younger than 50 years old. About 65% of patients had xerostomia. Several factors may impact on BMS, but the effect is not yet definite.