Lip component of burning mouth syndrome

To our knowledge there has been no previous study of factors specifically involved in the pathogenesis of patients who complain of burning sensation of the lips when the lips appear clinically normal. The complaint is akin to patients who complain of a burning sensation of the mouth when it appears clinically normal, a condition known as burning mouth syndrome. This study therefore studied precipitating factors in patients with burning mouth syndrome who reported lip involvement. Previous studies have shown that the lips are the third most common site reported as involved in patients who have burning mouth syndrome. Indeed patients with burning mouth syndrome often report multiple oral site involvement. To investigate the precipitating factors involved in the lip component of burning mouth syndrome, we studied 104 patients who reported the lips as a site affected by the condition from a total population of 312 patients with burning mouth syndrome. Hematologic, biochemical, and microbiologic parameters were studied in these patients. Sialometry, patch testing, psychological testing, and examination of denture status as well as questioning of parafunctional habits were also undertaken. No clear differences were noted in relationship to the frequency of abnormalities in burning mouth syndrome alone or burning mouth syndrome with lip involvement suggesting that similar precipitating factors apply. The precipitating factors in patients with lip involvement were found to be the same as burning mouth syndrome in general. Treatment of patients with lip involvement alone in burning mouth syndrome or lip involvement in burning mouth syndrome in conjunction with other intraoral sites gave an equally good response. The results suggest that similar precipitating factors are involved when the lips are involved in burning mouth syndrome.