Exploring the Association of Burning Mouth Syndrome with Depressive and Anxiety Disorders in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Background: Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is an idiopathic condition mainly affecting middle-aged and older individuals with hormonal disturbances or psychiatric disorders and is characterized by chronic pain. The etiopathogenesis of this multifactorial syndrome is largely unknown. The objective of the present systematic review was therefore to evaluate the relationship of BMS with depressive and anxiety disorders in middle-aged and older individuals. Methods: We selected studies evaluating BMS and depressive and anxiety disorders assessed with validated tools, published from their inception up to April 2023, using PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Ovid, and Google Scholar databases and adhering to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines/PRISMA 2020 27-item checklist. This study is registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023409595). The National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Toolkits for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies were used to examine the risk of bias. Results: Two independent investigators rated 4322 records against the primary endpoint and found 7 records meeting the eligibility requirements. Anxiety disorders were found to be the most common psychiatric disorders related to BMS (63.7%), followed by depressive disorders (36.3%). We found a moderate association of BMS with anxiety disorders, with multiple studies included (n = 7). Moreover, we found a low association of BMS with depressive disorders (included studies, n = 4). The role of pain appeared to be controversial in explaining these associations. Conclusions: In middle-aged and older subjects, anxiety and depressive disorders may be potentially related to the development of BMS. Furthermore, also in these age groups, females showed higher risk of developing BMS than males, even when taking into account multimorbidity such as sleep disorders, personality traits, and biopsychosocial changes as suggested by study-specific findings.

[1]  Su Jung Lee,et al.  Relationship of Depression, Anxiety, and Bipolar Disease with Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Nationwide Cohort Study , 2023, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[2]  L. Misery,et al.  Burning mouth syndrome and pelvodynia: A literature review , 2023, Medicine.

[3]  M. Lozupone,et al.  Temporomandibular Disorders as a Risk Factor for Suicidal Behavior: A Systematic Review , 2022, Journal of personalized medicine.

[4]  L. Misery,et al.  Neuropathic and Psychogenic Components of Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Systematic Review , 2021, Biomolecules.

[5]  Zhimin Yan,et al.  Worldwide Prevalence Estimates of Burning Mouth Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. , 2021, Oral diseases.

[6]  E. Mayo-Wilson,et al.  The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews , 2021, BMJ.

[7]  C. Hägglin,et al.  Differences in personality, perceived stress and physical activity in women with burning mouth syndrome compared to controls , 2020, Scandinavian journal of pain.

[8]  Raafat Mishriky,et al.  Pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of burning mouth syndrome: A systematic review. , 2020, Dental and medical problems.

[9]  Jong-Yeup Kim,et al.  Association Between Burning Mouth Syndrome and the Development of Depression, Anxiety, Dementia, and Parkinson Disease. , 2020, JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery.

[10]  P. Puukka,et al.  Symptom severity in burning mouth syndrome associates with psychological factors. , 2020, Journal of oral rehabilitation.

[11]  Y. Imamura.  International Classification of Orofacial Pain, 1st edition (ICOP) , 2020, Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache.

[12]  E. Vegni,et al.  Role of psychological factors in burning mouth syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis , 2017, Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache.

[13]  L. F. Law,et al.  How does physical activity modulate pain? , 2017, Pain.

[14]  J. Herrod,et al.  Individual oral symptoms in burning mouth syndrome may be associated differentially with depression and anxiety , 2016, Acta odontologica Scandinavica.

[15]  P. López‐Jornet,et al.  Assessment of self‐reported sleep disturbance and psychological status in patients with burning mouth syndrome , 2015, Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV.

[16]  B. Aleksic,et al.  Temperament and character profiles of patients with burning mouth syndrome. , 2015, Journal of psychosomatic research.

[17]  G. Gurvits,et al.  Burning mouth syndrome. , 2013, World journal of gastroenterology.

[18]  M. Morlino,et al.  Anxiety, Depression, and Pain in Burning Mouth Syndrome: First Chicken or Egg? , 2012, Headache.

[19]  E. Coon,et al.  Burning mouth syndrome in Parkinson’s disease: dopamine as cure or cause? , 2012, The Journal of Headache and Pain.

[20]  A. Kummer,et al.  Psychiatric disorders in burning mouth syndrome. , 2012, Journal of psychosomatic research.

[21]  K. Alavi,et al.  Correlation between Burning Mouth Syndrome and Anxiety in the Elderly Inmates of Sanitaria in Tehran , 2010, Journal of dental research, dental clinics, dental prospects.

[22]  D. Bandeira,et al.  Anxiety and salivary cortisol levels in patients with burning mouth syndrome: case-control study. , 2008, Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology, and endodontics.

[23]  G. Lodi,et al.  Causative or precipitating aspects of burning mouth syndrome: a case-control study. , 2006, Journal of oral pathology & medicine : official publication of the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the American Academy of Oral Pathology.

[24]  N. Savage,et al.  Burning mouth syndrome: an update on recent findings. , 2005, Australian dental journal.

[25]  F. Peluso,et al.  Clinical and therapeutic experience in twenty eight patients with burning mouth syndrome. , 2005, Minerva stomatologica.

[26]  U. Albert,et al.  Personality disorders in patients with burning mouth syndrome. , 2005, Journal of personality disorders.

[27]  Michael Christopher.  A broader view of trauma: a biopsychosocial-evolutionary view of the role of the traumatic stress response in the emergence of pathology and/or growth. , 2004, Clinical psychology review.

[28]  A. Scala,et al.  Update on burning mouth syndrome: overview and patient management. , 2003, Critical reviews in oral biology and medicine : an official publication of the American Association of Oral Biologists.

[29]  N. Scheinfeld.  The role of gabapentin in treating diseases with cutaneous manifestations and pain , 2003, International journal of dermatology.

[30]  S. Fahn,et al.  Oral and genital pain syndromes in Parkinson's disease , 1996, Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society.

[31]  P. Lamey,et al.  Burning mouth syndrome. , 1996, Dermatologic clinics.

[32]  A. De Laat,et al.  Characteristics of middle-aged and older patients with temporomandibular disorders and burning mouth syndrome. , 2015, Journal of oral science.

[33]  Zhu Jialiang,et al.  Association of Obesity With COVID-19 Severity and Mortality: An Updated Systemic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression , 2022, Frontiers in Endocrinology.

[34]  C. Brufau-Redondo,et al.  [Burning mouth syndrome]. , 2008, Actas dermo-sifiliograficas.