Geographic/fissured tongue is higher in BMS than in TMD patients

Introduction:

Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is an oral burning pain with qualities similar to other neuropathies, often presenting without clinical abnormalities. Geographic/fissured tongue (GFT) is a usually painless, inflammatory change of the tongue. Previous studies have suggested the possibility of an association between BMS and GFT.

Objectives:

This investigation aims to assess the prevalence of GFT in BMS patients compared to a control population of temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) patients and to determine if BMS patients with GFT differ from those without GFT in demographics and clinical presentation.

Methods:

Retrospective patient data from 2001 to 2004 was reviewed including 161 BMS patients and 87 control TMD subjects.

Results:

The study group comprised 161 BMS patients (120 females [80%], mean age 57+-13.5; males [20%], mean age 55.1+-16.0) and 87 control subjects (62 females [71.3%], mean age 42.4+-17.5; 25 males [28.7%] and mean age 42.4+-15.0). GFT was found in 43 BMS patients (43/161 [25.7%]) and in 10 control patients (10/87 [11.5%]) and the difference was strongly significant (Pearson's Chi-test, p=0.005). There were significantly more males than females represented in the BMS patients with GFP (29/128 females [22.6%] and 14/33 males [42.4%]); Pearson's Chi-test, p=0.02) and in the control group the trend was reversed (8/62 female [13.0%]; 2/25 male [8.0%]; p not calculated due to numbers).

Conclusion:

Our results demonstrate a higher than expected prevalence of GFT amongst BMS patients compared to control orofacial pain subjects and appear especially prevalent in BMS males suggesting that GFT may be a risk factor for BMS especially in males.

Abstract ID#: 108937

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