Aim: Burning mouth syndrome could be considered an expression of atypical facial pain. The recent neuropathological findings in BMS may suggest the need for alternative therapies. This paper aims to evaluate if systemic capsaicin could be used for BMS the- rapy.
Methods: Eighty-four BMS patients (19 males and 63 females, aged 36 to 74 years, mean 54.6) were referred to the Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology Department, Dental University Institute, Milan-Bicocca University. They were divided in 2 groups: 1(st) Group: the first group (42 patients) received 3 capsules of capsaicin (50 mg of powder of red pepper with 0,25% of capsaicin) a day for one month. 2(nd) Group: the control group (42 patients) received 3 capsules of placebo (empty capsules) a day for one month. The intensity of pain was measured on the visuo-analogical scale VAS. T test of Student was applied to analyse results of VAS. P values of less than 0.05 were interpreted as significant, and the level in confidence intervals was 95%.
Results: Significant differences were noted between the two groups at the end of our study (p<0.05). No important side effects were reported.
Conclusion: Systemic capsaicin could be considered a successful therapeutical approach for BMS patients.