The prevalence of burning mouth syndrome: a population-based study

Abstract

Background: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is defined as symptoms of persistent burning in the mouth without objective findings accounting for the symptoms.

Objectives: To calculate the point prevalence of BMS in Olmsted County, Minnesota, on December 31, 2010.

Methods: The Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) medical records linkage system was used to identify BMS cases diagnosed or potentially diagnosed before December 31, 2009. Inclusion criteria were subjective oral discomfort, normal oral examination, and documented BMS diagnosis by a REP physician.

Results: In total, 149 BMS cases were confirmed, representing age- and sex-adjusted point prevalence of BMS in Olmsted County of 0.11%, or 105.6 (95% CI, 88.6–122.6) per 100,000 persons. Age-adjusted prevalence in women was significantly higher than men: 168.6 (95% CI, 139.0–198.2) vs 35.9 (95% CI, 21.4–50.3) per 100,000 persons (P<.001). The highest prevalence was in women aged 70 through 79 years (527.9 per 100,000 persons). Mean (SD) age at BMS diagnosis was 59.4 (15.1) years (range, 25–90 years).

Conclusions: To our knowledge, we provide the first report of population-based BMS prevalence. The data show that BMS most commonly affects women older than 50 years, and when defined through diagnostic criteria, it is less prevalent than described previously.