Neuropathic Pain in Patients with Burning Mouth Syndrome Evaluated Using painDETECT.

Objective: This study set out to identify the neuropathic component of pain experienced by burning mouth syndrome (BMS) patients evaluated using painDETECT, a diagnostic tool that could easily be introduced into clinical practice.

Materials and Methods: This study included 64 patients (33 BMS and 31 suffering nociceptive pain). Each completed the painDETECT neuropathic pain questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and pain intensity was also measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS).

Results: Pain among BMS patients (evaluated by VAS) was 6.1 ± 1.9, and 4.3 ± 1.7 among nociceptive patients ( P  < 0.001). PainDETECT obtained total scores ≥ 19 in 21% of BMS patients, indicating the presence of neuropathic pain. When painDETECT pain descriptors were analyzed comparing the BMS group with nociceptive pain subjects, statistically significant differences were found for burning sensation ( P  < 0.010), prickling ( P  < 0.001), electric shock-like sensation ( P  = 0.046), thermal sensation ( P  < 0.001), and numbness ( P  = 0.002). Logistic regression analysis found that VAS scoring was the strongest determinant predicting neuropathic pain.

Conclusion: The present study suggests that almost a third of BMS patients present neuropathic pain, which is strongly associated with the intensity of pain measured using VAS. These data could provide the basis for further research.