Effect of Treatments on Pain and Quality of Life in Individual With Burning Mouth Syndrome

Summary

Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is characterized by a burning sensation on the tongue or other areas of the mouth, often bilateral but occasionally unilateral. It is more prevalent in postmenopausal women. No specific ethnic or socioeconomic predisposition has been identified. The etiology and pathophysiology of BMS remain unknown. Various treatment approaches have been proposed, yielding conflicting outcomes and underscoring the need for further investigation.

Patients with BMS appear to respond well to long-term therapy involving systemic antidepressants and anxiolytics. The most promising therapeutic effects have been observed with clonazepam, which leads to a significant reduction in pain when applied topically or systemically. Capsaicin, an herbal remedy, also presents as an alternative treatment option, showing positive results in alleviating BMS symptoms when compared to a placebo. Photobiomodulation represents another non-pharmacological treatment possibility. It's analgesic action is possibly attributed to the inhibition of pain mediators. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is dietary supplement employed in BMS treatment. It serves as a potent antioxidant naturally produced within the body, contributing to the mitigation of skin aging and reinforcing the effects of other biological antioxidants. Based on these findings, attempts have been made to demonstrate ALA's effectiveness in BMS management, concluding that ALA may offer benefits in this context.

Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate, in adults with BMS, the impact of different therapeutic approaches on frequency, intensity, and location of pain, as well as on on quality of life.

Conditions

• Burning Mouth Syndrome

Interventions

DRUG

topical placebo tablet

Individuals will be instructed to dissolve half a tablet of placebo medication and hold the saliva near the painful oral sites without swallowing, for 3 minutes and then spit. Tablets will contain magnesium silicate, with the same color and flavor as the test medications. Researchers will provide a total of 32 tablets for each participant.

DRUG

topical clonazepam tablet

Individuals will be instructed to dissolve half a tablet of clonazepam and hold the saliva near the painful oral sites without swallowing for 3 minutes and then spit. Researchers will provide a total of 32 tablets for each participant.

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

oral alpha-lipoic acid capsule

Participants in this group will be instructed to take oral capsules containing alpha-lipoic acid.

OTHER

topical phytotherapic capsaicin gel

Participants in this group will to apply the gel containing tocapsaicin on painful oral sites.

RADIATION

local photobiomodulation

Photobiomodulation will be applied during 10 seconds per point at 56 points (three on the vestibular mucosa of the 4 quadrants, four on each labial mucosa, six on each of the two buccal mucosae, six on the hard palate, four on each lateral edge of the tongue, six on the dorsum of the tongue, and four sublingual points) with an intermediate distance of 2 mm. A dose of 12 J/cm² per session will be applied in continuous mode for 10 sessions. The 10 sessions will be applied twice a week for 5 consecutive weeks. The LASER will be applied perpendicularly in contact with the mucosa. All patients and the clinician will wear protective glasses.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Federal University of Minas Gerais

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Fernando O Costa, PhD · Federal University of Minas Gerais

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

70 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-11-01

Primary Completion

2026-02-01

Completion

2026-03-01

Countries

• Brazil

Study Locations